NW Tennessee News

The University of Tennessee at Martin equestrian program was well-represented on the list of 2023 All-Eastern College Athletic Conference postseason award winners as four different Skyhawks earned five honors at the league's championship banquet this evening.
           
A total of 16 riders were spotlighted tonight as the ECAC evenly distributed its awards to four honorees in each event (fences, flat, horsemanship, reining). Sydney Hott was named to the All-ECAC squad in both fences and flat while Julia Gilman (fences), Lexi Bailey (horsemanship) and Logan Putvinski (reining) were each identified as the best ECAC performers in their respective events.
           
Hott becomes the first Skyhawk to ever capture all-conference accolades in two different events during the same season. The junior out of Defiance, Ohio had a breakout season in 2022-23, leading the squad in fences scoring average (81.1), fences MOP's (two), flat victories (six) and flat MOP's (two). She produced six head-to-head wins in fences, including a career-best 86-point effort in the Oct. 1 season opener against Dartmouth, which was good enough for a MOP medal. Her other fences MOP came on Nov. 18 against South Dakota State following an 85-point performance. In flat, she posted a 73.5 scoring average and began the season with back-to-back MOP's (80 points against Dartmouth on Oct. 1, career-best 93 points against No. 1 TCU on Oct. 13). She was named ECAC Rider of the Week twice (fences on Oct. 3, flat on Oct. 18) and ECAC Rider of the Month in flat for October.
           
Gilman becomes only the fourth rider in UT Martin history to be named all-conference in both Jumping Seat events during a career, joining Abbie Hopkins, Kelby Kane and Hott. One year after securing All-ECAC accolades in flat, the Barrington, Ill. native compiled team-bests of nine victories (in 12 opportunities) and two MOP's to go along with a 79.2 scoring average in fences. Her career-high score of 88 points occurred on Oct. 28 against No. 7 South Carolina and was good enough for MOP accolades while she also posted a MOP triumph against Bridgewater on March 10 (84 points). The senior was named ECAC Fences Rider of the Week twice (Jan. 31 and March 14) while also collecting ECAC Fences Rider of the Month honors in October.
           
Claiming her first career All-ECAC award is Bailey, a sophomore from Union Mills, Ind. who becomes the fifth Skyhawk to nab all-conference honors in horsemanship. She racked up team-highs in both head-to-head victories (four) and scoring average (74.0) in horsemanship while garnering one MOP medal – a 76-point effort against South Dakota State on Nov. 18. She set a career-high in the scoring column with 77 points at No. 6 Auburn on Oct. 22 and also defeated her counterpart from No. 1 SMU on Feb. 11 after a 73-point performance. She was responsible for at least a score of 75 points in four different meets in 2022-23 overall, including a three-meet stretch where she averaged 76.3 points to close out the fall semester.
           
Hailing from Knoxville, Tenn., Putvinski starred during her sophomore campaign as she topped UT Martin's reining lineup in wins (six), MOP's (one) and scoring average (70.4). Her MOP came on Oct. 22 against No. 6 Auburn following a 70-point effort while she established a career-high with 74 points on two separate occasions (at No. 8 Baylor on Jan. 27, at South Dakota State on March 1). She went 6-3 on the season with her three losses coming by a combined three total points (including 0.5-point setbacks in the aforementioned meet at Baylor and again on Feb. 11 against No. 1 SMU). The fourth rider in Skyhawk history to ever be named all-conference in reining, she was named ECAC Reining Rider of the Week on Oct. 25. 

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