MARTIN, Tenn. – In an impeccable display of grit and hard work all season long, the Ags poured their souls into the final matchup versus No. 1 seed and hosting team UT Martin. The well-matched teams went head-to-head; and in the end, a raw score tiebreaker sealed the loss for the Aggies.
The Aggies held the ECAC Championship title the past two seasons and looked to defend and repeat their victory from the Skyhawks circling above.
The Ags earned two points over the Fences, with efforts led by senior
Jessie Rechs. On a re-ride showing with Archie, she scored a brilliant 82 to take the win in a close one-point matchup with the Skyhawks. Freshman
Carmen Gonzalez continued her win streak from the semifinals as well, scoring a 75.5 on Rafiki to outscore the Skyhawks by 2.5 points for the victory.
The Flat squad pulled the Ags out of the initial deficit on the English side, going 4-1 in their performances to beat out the Skyhawks 6-4 in total for Jumping seat. Senior
Emma Jolly aboard Ferrari rode an event-high 81.5 and earned the MOP with her top performance. Graduate student
Margaret Franke and PorkChop scored second highest with a 79.
Anna Donovan and
Jessie Rechs added to the tally, showing strong to pull the Ags ahead of the Skyhawks.
Senior
Natasha Replogle led the Aggie charge on the Horsemanship side, scoring a 71.25 while riding Lance. She beat out her Skyhawks opponent by a mere 0.25 points for the Aggie dub. Sophomore
Kylie Jacobson and Luke took the second point, scoring a 70 to bring the Ags to a 2-3 final to start off the western side.
The last even was Reining, and the pressure was on for both teams. Junior
Nicole Shroyer was the lone pointwinner, and her and Tia scored a 68 which earned the MOP for the event. The pressure was on for junior
Mya Clader as the Ags were behind 9-10 before her ride. Going last while showcasing Iris and with a score of 69.75, she tied it up for the Aggies 10-10.
In the case of a tie, the officials went in to recalibrate and total up the scores of each team to determine the winner. After a prolonged and painstaking wait, the Ags fell to the Skyhawks based on the raw score for the tiebreaker, 1,379.3-1,446.5 in the end.
