Ruby Gunderson, a sophomore on the University of Tennessee at Martin equestrian team, was named Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Rider of the Week for horsemanship on March 10.
This recognition marks Gunderson as the 10th different Skyhawk to receive ECAC Rider of the Week honors during the 2025-26 season and the 13th overall UT Martin representative to earn an ECAC weekly or monthly accolade this year. She joins teammates Kailyn Veale and Ava Jo Glenn as Skyhawk riders who have also been identified as ECAC Horsemanship Riders of the Week.
Gunderson, who is from Ephrata, Washington, achieved a perfect 3-0 record during UT Martin’s recent road trip in California. She secured victories over competitors from No. 8 Fresno State and No. 10 Baylor on Friday, then defeated her head-to-head opponent at No. 9 UC Davis on Saturday. In her weekend debut, she scored 71.25 points while her Fresno State counterpart did not score any points. Later that day, she narrowly beat her Baylor opponent with a score of 73-72.75 before finishing with a strong performance against UC Davis by scoring 76.5 points and winning by a margin of 4.5 points.
For the season, Gunderson leads UT Martin with nine horsemanship victories, including five consecutive wins to close out the regular season. She is tied for the team lead with a scoring average of 73.9 and has earned one Most Outstanding Performer (MOP) award this year.
The Skyhawks are preparing to compete for their second consecutive league title later in March at the ECAC Championship event hosted by Delaware State.
