Georgia Seeks Eighth National Championship

ATHENS, Ga. --- The University of Georgia equestrian team is set to compete as the fifth seed in the 2024 National Collegiate Equestrian Association National Championship, taking place at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida April 18-20.

The nation's top eight teams will compete for the 2024 NCEA Championship. Georgia's quest to its eighth national title starts Thursday, April 18, as the Bulldogs face No. 4 Texas A&M at 8:30 a.m. Also in Georgia's bracket are top-seed TCU and eight-seed UC Davis who will face off on Thursday as well. The winners from both meets will compete on Friday, April 19 for a berth to the national championship.

Since the first NCEA Team National Championship in 2002, Georgia leads the nation with seven national titles. Auburn is next with six, followed by South Carolina and Texas A&M with three apiece. Oklahoma State was the first non-SEC school to win the title in 2022 and SMU followed as champions in 2023.

DAWGS NOTES
•  Five Georgia riders received NCEA Ariat All-America honors this season.  Senior Jordan Toering and juniors Catalina Peralta and Jillian Stopperich were named to the First Team for Flat, Fences, and Horsemanship, respectively.  Senior Sophia Pilla was named to the Second Team for Flat.  Peralta (Flat) and sophomore Shelby Lynch (Reining) received Honorable Mention.
•  Junior Jillian Stopperich was named the SEC Horsemanship Rider of the Year. Stopperich rode to a 12-2 overall record and went undefeated against SEC opponents in the regular season to be named the SEC Horsemanship Rider of the Year.  She also collected NCEA First Team All-America honors. The Venetia, Pa. product won three MOP honors and scored an average of 74.7. Her score of 77.5 against Texas A&M tied for the highest among SEC riders this season. She picked up one SEC Rider of the Month accolade this season. She was also placed on the All-SEC team for the third time of her career.
•  Tessa Downey and Cadence Eger were named the SEC Fences and Reining Riders of the Year, respectively. Downey was named Freshman Fences of the Year after compiling a 6-2-1 overall record and going 2-1-1 against SEC opponents in the regular season.  She added two more wins at the SEC Championship.  The Houston native rode to four scores of 85 or better, three times against SEC opponents, and a high score of 88 against Auburn.
Eger was named the Freshman Reining Rider of the Year after competing in five meets this season, three of which were against SEC opponents.  The Marysville, Ohio product won MOP honors against South Carolina and rode to an average score of 68.8.
Both rookies were also named to the SEC All-Freshman teams in their respective events.
•  Eight Bulldogs received All-SEC honors for their efforts this season. Stopperich received All-SEC honors in Horsemanship.
Catalina Peralta secured a spot on the All-SEC Fences and Flat teams. The native of Geneva, Fla. compiled a 9-4-1 overall record and claimed five MOP honors and was also placed on the NCEA All-America First Team for Fences. She rode to an average score of 85.6 and had an average win margin of 1.5. She received two SEC Rider of the Month accolades and one from the NCEA. In Flat she also rode to a 9-4-1 record with three MOP honors. She rode to 10 scores of 85 or better.
Jordan Toering earned a spot on the Flat team for the Bulldogs. She rode to a 10-3-1 overall record and collected one MOP honor. The Waterford, Va. native notched a high score of 94 at Baylor, which was the highest score among all SEC Flat riders during the regular season, and had an average win margin of 5.5. She was also named to the NCEA All-America First Team. This is the second All-SEC Flat honor for Toering, who also has one recognition in Fences.

Sophomores Shelby Lynch and Raegan Shepherd and senior Hannah Jane Lucas were named to the All-SEC Reining Team.

Lynch, a native of McLean, Ill. compiled a 10-4 overall record. She won one MOP honor posted a season-high 71.5 against Oklahoma State.

Shepherd rode to a 8-4-2 overall record.  The Clayton, N.C. native went 3-3 during the regular season against SEC opponents and 1-1 at the Championship, winning one MOP honor.

Lucas, a product of Ridgeway, S.C., went 5-2 overall this season. She won MOP honors in all four rides she won during the regular season, two of which were against SEC foes. She rode to an average score of 70.5 and collected one SEC Rider of the Month nod.
•  Twelve Riders on the University of Georgia equestrian team were named to the NCEA APHA All-Academic Teams for their accomplishments in and out of the arena. An additional 27 riders received APHA Academic Honor Roll recognition.
Seven Bulldogs were named to the NCEA All-Academic First Team after competing in a minimum of 70 percent of meets and maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.5. Those riders include Leah Anderson, Jax Bound, Tessa Brown, Jordan Davis, Caitlin Lyons, Sophia Pilla, and Emma Reichow. Isabella David and Gracie Himes received Second Team recognition with a minimum requirement of 60 percent participation in meets and a cumulative GPA of 3.25.  Catalina Peralta, Raegan Shepherd, and Jillian Stopperich received Honorable Mention with 50 percent and a cumulative GPA of 3.0.

National Championship Seeding
1.     TCU
2.     SMU
3.     Auburn
4.     Texas A&M
5.     Georgia
6.     Oklahoma State
7.     South Carolina
8.     UC Davis

HOW TO FOLLOW GEORGIA EQUESTRIAN: For complete information on Georgia equestrian, follow the team on its social media channels via @UGAEquestrian on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

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Players Mentioned

Leah Anderson

Jax Bound

Tessa Brown

Isabella David

Jordan Davis

Tessa Downey

Cadence Eger

Hannah Jane Lucas

Shelby Lynch

Caitlin Lyons

Catalina Peralta

Sophia Pilla

Emma Reichow

Raegan Shepherd

Jillian Stopperich

Jordan Toering