All Eyes On Ocala: A Look At Storylines Ahead Of The NCEA Championship

From chasing historic runs to first-time appearances, college equestrian’s season will conclude in a big way this weekend.

The chase for championships is back on in the NCEA as the 2024-25 season culminates this weekend at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Fla. | Courtesy of SMU athletics

The 2024-25 National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) season culminates this weekend at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Fla., as teams from across the country square off in the dual discipline and single discipline brackets to claim their respective national titles. 

The action starts on Thursday with the first dual discipline rides in the quarterfinals, followed by the semifinals of both brackets on Friday and the championship round on Saturday. The entire event will stream live via the USEF Network powered by ClipMyHorse TV. 

Ahead of the competition, here is a look at some of the biggest storylines heading into the championship battle. 

Can they get No. 4? Lynchburg College has three straight NCEA single discipline national titles and after winning the ODAC once again, the Hornets are headed back to Florida with hopes of another trophy for the case. | Courtesy of Lynchburg athletics

Quest for consecutives

After an up-and-down fall, two-time defending dual discipline national champion SMU got things on track in the spring. The Mustangs opened the 2024-25 campaign with a 3-4 record during the first semester, but rebounded to go 7-0 once competition resumed after winter break, with wins over NCEA qualifiers Auburn, Oklahoma State, Georgia, Texas A&M and UT Martin along the way. That success earned SMU the top seed heading into the finale. 

First-year head coach Brad Kearns has been an integral part of the program’s recent run as an assistant, but now steers the ship as SMU chases an NCEA milestone. Georgia is the only program in NCEA history to win three straight overall titles, doing so from 2008-10. 

In the single discipline bracket, Lynchburg is aiming for a rare feat, trying to win four consecutive crowns. The top-seeded Hornets (8-3) have been in the championship round every year since the single discipline bracket was established in 2021, losing in their first appearance to Sweet Briar before reeling off the current three-peat. 

Director of Equestrian Phillip Williamson has established Lynchburg as the best jump seat program in the country with an eye on adding to an already impressive legacy. 

Thanks to its first conference title in more than a decade, UT Martin is headed to the NCEA Championship for the first time. | Courtesy of UT Martin athletics

Welcome to the party!

Both NCEA brackets have some new faces. 

On the dual discipline side, UT Martin’s first-ever Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) dual discipline title vaulted the No. 8 Skyhawks into their first appearance in the NCEA field. Coach Kim Leiter-Janes helped guide UT-Martin to new heights with an 8-6 overall record, the program’s first conference title since winning the defunct United Equestrian Conference in 2013 and a school-record four All-Americans, including a trio of first-team selections. 

In single discipline competition, Charleston is making its debut in Ocala after claiming the ECAC single discipline championship with wins over Sacred Heart and Dartmouth. The third-seeded Cougars finished the year with an 8-3 record as coach Natasha Vitkovic produced two All-American riders. 

South Carolina's improbable run to the SEC title has the Gamecocks thinking big heading into the NCEA. If South Carolina can get past TCU in the opening round, a matchup between head coach Carol Gwin and her former team, SMU, could be lurking in the semifinals. | Courtesy of South Carolina athletics

Pair me up

One thing is certain – the brackets offer intriguing matchups from the opening ride. 

On the dual discipline side, No. 8 UT-Martin faces a tall task, making its debut in the NCEA field against two-time defending champ SMU. 

No. 4 TCU and No. 5 South Carolina haven’t faced each other since 2023, but Gamecocks coach Carol Gwin is certainly familiar with the Horned Frogs having generally seen them twice a year during her days at SMU. 

And if the Gamecocks and Mustangs can stay hot and win their opening round matchups, it creates a semifinal showdown between Gwin and her former team. South Carolina comes into the event having reeled off five straight wins, including a pair to claim the SEC Championship. SMU won seven consecutive matches this spring. 

If not, Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex rivals SMU and TCU could meet for the third time this season and for the third straight year at the NCEA Championship. SMU has won both previous battles in Ocala, including a 12-7 victory for the national title last April. 

No. 3 Oklahoma State and No. 6 Texas A&M didn’t face off in the regular season, but the former Big 12 rivals are pitted against each other in Thursday’s opening round. The Cowgirls, winners of five straight Big 12 titles, and Aggies are each trying to reach the finals for the first time since they met in the 2022 championship match, with Oklahoma State earning the victory. 

Meanwhile, the last first-round match features an SEC rivalry renewed as No. 2 Auburn faces No. 7 Georgia. The Bulldogs and Tigers split regular season meetings with wins at their respective home sites. Since a 2019 showdown, the two teams have avoided meeting at an NCEA Championship. 

In single discipline competition, top-seeded Lynchburg begins its quest for a four-peat with No. 4 Dartmouth. The Big Green are back in the field for a second straight year after finishing runner-up in the ECAC Single Discipline bracket. 

For second-seeded Sweet Briar, the matchup with No. 3 Charleston has a familiar feeling to 2024. Last spring, the Foxes battled Dartmouth in the semifinal round as the Big Green made their NCEA debut. This year, it’s the Cougars who are first-timers while Sweet Briar is eyeing a fifth straight appearance in the championship round against Lynchburg. 

Previously this year, the Foxes and Hornets have met three times, splitting regular season meetings, while Lynchburg won the Old Dominion Athletic Conference championship clash back in March. Two of the previous meetings this year came down to raw score.