EQUESTRIAN WRAPS UP REGULAR SEASON WITH TRI-MEET

Friday, March 6

Blythewood, S.C.

10 a.m. ET/9 a.m. CT

South Dakota State University

South Carolina

South Dakota State equestrian student-athlete Heidi White competes in the fences event during competition against Delaware State on Feb. 7, 2026, at the DeHaan Equestrian Center in Brookings, South Dakota.

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

3/5/2026 1:25:00 PM | Equestrian

EQUESTRIAN: South Dakota State (4-6, 4-3 ECAC) at South Carolina Tri-Meet

When	Friday-Saturday, March 6-7 • SDSU at South Carolina \| 10 a.m. ET Friday • SDSU vs. Delaware State \| 3 p.m. ET Friday (Flat, Horsemanship) • SDSU vs. Delaware State \| 10 a.m. ET Saturday (Fences, Reining)
Where	One Wood Farm \| Blythewood, South Carolina
Live Video	None
Live Results	• SDSU at South Carolina • SDSU vs. Delaware State
Social Media	Twitter \| Instagram \| #GoJacks

The 10th-ranked South Dakota State equestrian team wraps up the regular season portion of its schedule with a pair of head-to-head competitions this weekend at the South Carolina Tri-Meet.

The Jackrabbits, 4-6 overall, open the weekend by facing second-ranked South Carolina at 10 a.m. ET Friday at One Wood Farm in Blythewood, South Carolina. The Gamecocks enter the matchup with an 8-4 overall record in head-to-head competitions.

SDSU, which has compiled a 4-3 record against ECAC opponents, will then take on league opponent Delaware State in a meet slated to start at approximately 3 p.m. ET on Friday. The Jackrabbits and Hornets will compete in flat and horsemanship on Friday before concluding with fences and reining at 10 a.m. ET Saturday. Competition will take place across two arenas throughout the weekend.

FIRST MEETING WITH DSU: South Dakota State opened with a sweep in fences and held off Delaware State, 11-8, in head-to-head competition Feb. 7 at the DeHaan Equestrian Center in Brookings, South Dakota.

Each of SDSU's riders tallied at least 77 points in the event, with Most Outstanding Performer Sarah Gould leading the way with a score of 87 aboard Thomas. Isabelle Malick also topped the 80-point mark with an 81. Brooke Borges (79), Juliana Gullo (78) and Heidi White (77) notched the other Jackrabbit victories.

As a team, SDSU racked up a season-high 402 points in the fences category.

Gullo and White each turned in their second victories of the day with wins in flat as SDSU recorded another team-high total with 409 points. A senior from Itasca, Illinois, Gullo secured the Jackrabbit victory by winning her matchup with a score of 88 on Mack. White, a freshman from Senoia, Georgia, claimed an 84-77 victory over Sarah Hoffmeyer on Elton.

The Jackrabbits also held a 3-2 advantage in reining. Hailey Hanson led the way with a score of 71.5 on JoJo, while Lillie Wallis (71) and Adisyn Kuxhaus (70.5) also posted winning scores. Kuxhaus, was selected as the reining MOP, improved to a team-best 6-2-1 in head-to-head matchups this season.

Grace Gerbus was the lone winner for the Jackrabbits in horsemanship with a score of 77 on Snaps. Anna Minich tied the Hornets' Madison Wojcek with a score of 71.

THE LINEUP: Following is the projected South Dakota State lineup for this weekend's competitions

Fences	Record	Scoring Avg.
Brooke Borges, Jr. Osceola, Fla.	1-5-0	76.5
Sarah Gould, Jr., Carmel, Ind.	2-5-0 (1 MOP)	79.7
Juliana Gullo, Sr., Itasca, Ill.	6-4-0 (1 MOP)	75.1
Heidi White, Fr., Senoia, Ga.	2-8-0 (1 MOP)	76.1
Isabelle Malick, So., Colorado Springs, Colo.	7-3-0 (1 MOP)	81.2
Alternate: Kayla Scherer, Jr., Fort Collins, Colo.	0-0-0	N/A
Flat	Record	Scoring Avg.
Juliana Gullo, Sr. Itasca, Ill.	5-4-1	75.7
Heidi White, Fr., Senoia, Ga.	2-6-0	74.6
Isabelle Malick, So., Colorado Springs, Colo.	4-6-0 (1 MOP)	76.6
Kayla Scherer, Jr., Fort Collins, Colo.	3-6-0 (1 MOP)	73.1
Sierra Elliott, Jr., Harmony, Fla.	4-6-0 (1 MOP)	74.4
Alternate: Brooke Borges, Jr., Osceola, Fla.	0-0-0	N/A
Horsemanship	Record	Scoring Avg.
Anna Minich, So., LaPorte, Ind.	6-3-1	72.0
Avery Bergan, So., Baldwin City, Kan.	4-6-0 (1 MOP)	72.5
Hailey Hanson, So., Inver Grove Heights, Minn.	4-6-0 (1 MOP)	72.1
Grace Gerbus, Sr., Pendleton, Ky.	4-4-0 (1 MOP)	71.8
Hannah Dutton, Jr., Mount Vernon, Wash.	0-2-0	71.4
Alternate: Brighton McBride, Sr., Overland Park, Kan.	2-7-0	70.3
Reining	Record	Scoring Avg.
Adisyn Kuxhaus, Sr., Pierre, S.D.	7-2-1 (3 MOP)	69.3
Maryn Mead, Jr., Norfolk, Neb.	3-6-1 (1 MOP)	68.6
Lillie Wallis, So., Chesterfield, Mo.	5-4-1 (1 MOP)	68.7
Emma Riggs, So., Alexandria, S.D.	5-2-3 (1 MOP)	69.8
Hailey Hanson, So., Inver Grove Heights, Minn.	5-4-0	68.1
Alternate: Brighton McBride, So., Baldwin City, Kan.	0-0-0	N/A

COACH WERKHOVEN: One of the most successful riders in program history and more recently an assistant coach, Julia Werkhoven was selected to lead the Jackrabbit equestrian program in January 2026.

"Through her time competing here and more recently as an assistant coach, Julia knows what South Dakota State University is all about," Sell said. "What stands out with Julia is her commitment to providing our student-athletes with the best possible experience."

Werkhoven holds the distinction of being the only Jackrabbit to earn All-America honors in two separate seasons. She earned honorable mention recognition in flat from Ariat and the National Collegiate Equestrian Association in both 2022 and 2024.

A native of Tempe, Arizona, Werkhoven also received all-academic accolades at the conference and national level. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in business economics in 2023 and completed a master's degree in economics at SDSU a year later.

Following graduation, Werkhoven worked locally as an assistant trainer at Bay View Farms. She returned to the Jackrabbit equestrian program as assistant coach for the jumping seat events in September and helped lead the team to a 3-4 record in head-to-head competitions through the first half of the season, as well as a top-10 ranking for the first time since March 2021.

A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits will head back to the East Coast for the ECAC Championship, which is slated for March 26-28 at the Delaware State Fairgrounds in Harrington, Delaware.

-GoJacks.com-