The ECAC Equestrian Championship begins on Thursday at noon with No. 4 South Dakota State taking on No. 5 UM Crookston at the Ned McWherter Agricultural Complex in Martin, Tennessee.
Video coverage of the ECAC Equestrian Championship will be streamed through ClipMyHorse.TV, with live scoring updates also available.Â
The fourth-seeded Jackrabbits enter the championship with a 3-8 overall record, including a 3-3 mark in head-to-head competition against ECAC opponents. Two of SDSU's wins this season came from Minnesota Crookston as the Jacks notched a 12-4 victory on Nov. 2 and an 11-6 victory on March 8.
Senior Hannah Steele has been stellar in the jumping seat events for the Jacks, earning a 6-5 record in fences and a 7-4 in the flat discipline. In Steele's last showing against UM Crookston, she earned both Most Outstanding Performer awards, featuring a score of 91 in flat and a 74 in fences, as the Jackrabbits picked up three points in both events.
Freshman Emma Riggs is undefeated this season against UM Crookston riders in reining. The South Dakota native notched her second win of her collegiate career against Madison Wojeck (71-69.5) on Nov. 2 and ended the regular season with a victory over Marley Halse (71-67.5) on March 8, earning her MOP honors in the event.
UM Crookston finished the regular season holding a winless 0-11 record. The Golden Eagles average just under four points per competition.
The winner of the event will take on No. 1 UT Martin on Friday at 10 a.m. No. 2 UC Davis and third-seeded Delaware State will meet in Friday's other semifinal. Competition concludes Saturday.