Georgia Seeks Program’s Eighth National Championship

Thursday, April 13

Ocala, Fla.

2:30 p.m.

University of Georgia

Oklahoma State

Photo by: Tony Walsh/UGAAA

Georgia Seeks Program’s Eighth National Championship

April 12, 2023 | Equestrian

NOTES
MEDIA GUIDE
BRACKET
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

ATHENS, Ga. --- The University of Georgia equestrian team is set to compete as the sixth seed in the 2023 National Collegiate Equestrian Association National Championship, taking place at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida April 13-15.

The nation's top eight teams will compete for the 2023 NCEA Championship. Georgia's quest to its eighth national title starts Thursday, April 13, as the Bulldogs face No. 3 Oklahoma State at 2:30 p.m. Also in Georgia's bracket are two-seed Auburn and seven-seed South Carolina who will face off on Thursday as well. The winners from both meets will compete on Friday, April 14 at 2 p.m. 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. Last year, Oklahoma State was the first non-SEC school to win the title.

DAWGS NOTES
• The Bulldog Flat squad has scored the top eight scores among all SEC riders this season.
•  Six Georgia riders received NCEA Ariat All-America honors this season.  Senior Ceci Bresch and junior Sophia Pilla were named to the First Team for Flat.  This is the second recognition for Pilla, who was named to the Second Team last season.  Junior Nora Andrews and sophomore Catalina Peralta were also recognized for their performances in Flat this season. Peralta was named to the Second Team and Andrews received Honorable Mention.
Junior Emma Reichow and sophomore Jillian Stopperich picked up Honorable Mention in Fences and Horsemanship, respectively.
•  Senior Ceci Bresch was named the SEC Flat Rider of the Year. Bresch, a native of Barrington, Illinois, was named SEC Rider of the Year in Flat after riding to a 12-4 record overall.  During the regular season she went 2-4 against SEC opponents but went undefeated and took home two Most Outstanding Performer honors on her way to being named to the All-Championship Team at the conference championship two weeks ago.  She won a total of six MOPs this season and received NCEA First Team All-America honors. This season she rode to four scores that were higher than any other SEC Flat rider and a total of six scores of 90 or better.  She scored a 97 twice in the same day against South Carolina and Sweet Briar, which is the fourth highest Flat score in Georgia program history.
•  Seven Bulldogs received All-SEC honors for their efforts this season. Bresch also received All-SEC honors in Flat and was joined by Sophia Pilla.  Pilla rode to a 13-3 overall record this season, including seven away wins and two MOP honors.  She also received NCEA First Team All-America honors and was named the NCEA and SEC Rider of the Month in February.  She rode to six scores of 90 or better with an average score of 87.2.  Her high mark of 99 against South Carolina was the highest among all SEC riders this season and is tied for the best score in program history.  She is only the third Bulldog to achieve the near-perfect score and the first since 2019.
       Additional All-SEC nods went to Rachel McMullen in Fences and Jillian Stopperich in Horsemanship.  Tessa Brown (Fences), Raegan Shepherd (Reining), and Shelby Lynch (Reining) received All-Freshman recognition.
       McMullen went 10-5 overall in Fences with one MOP and rode to 11 scores of 81 or better, five of which were against SEC opponents.  Stopperich rode to a 9-3 overall record in Horsemanship with two MOPs this season, both against SEC opponents. She received NCEA All-America Honorable Mention and was named the NCEA and SEC Rider of the Month for October.
       Brown was recognized after going 8-7 in Fences during her rookie season. She won two MOPs, including one at the SEC Championship and rode to nine scores of 80 or better.  In Reining, Shepherd went 2-2 against SEC opponents this year and won one MOP against Auburn, while Lynch rode a 2-2-1 record.
•  20 members of the Georgia equestrian team were recognized by the NCEA for their efforts in the classroom.
        Fifth-years Courtney Blumer, Kendall Gill, and Sara Lewis, seniors Caitlin Lyons and Rachel McMullen, and juniors Leah Anderson, Sophia Pilla, and Emma Reichow were placed on the NCEA All-Academic First Team. Recipients must have competed in a minimum of 70 percent of the school's meets. They also must have earned a cumulative grade-point average of 3.5 while maintaining full-time enrollment in the previous spring and fall semesters.
       Sophomore Jax Bound and senior Ceci Bresch earned spots on the second team, which is given to those who earn a 3.25 GPA. Sophomore Jordan Davis and juniors Sophie Lucas and Jordan Toering were placed on the honorable mention squad for earning a 3.0 or better.
       The honor is the fourth for Blumer and Lewis and the third for Bresch, Gill, Lyons, and McMullen. It's the second for Anderson, Pilla, Reichow and Toering.
       Emily Blecher, Kennedy Bryant, Hayley Freeman, Jessica Guginsky, Victoria Kendle, Harper Lawson, Austin Layer, Hannah Jane Lucas, Jada Mark, Kalli Meagher, Bay Noland-Armstrong, Ada Rohan, Meg Seidel, Hannah Smith, Isabelle Song, Hazel Taylor, Spencer Toohill represented the Bulldogs on the NCEA Academic Honor Roll. The top academic student-athletes who have earned a cumulative GPA 3.25 while maintaining full-time enrollment earn a spot on the list.
•  Junior Sophia Pilla scored a 99 in Flat against South Carolina which is the highest score among all SEC riders this season, tying the best score in program history. She's only the third Bulldog to achieve the near-perfect mark and the first since 2019.
• Senior Ceci Bresch received a Flat score of 97 twice in the same day against South Carolina and Sweet Briar. Junior Nora Andrews scored a 97 at Texas A&M.  A Flat score of 97 is the second highest score among all SEC riders this season and the fourth highest Flat score in Georgia program history.
• Georgia riders earned five SEC and three NCEA Rider of the Month honors this season.

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

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.