Best Of The Best: 10 Riders To Watch Heading Into The NCEA Championship

The field is set and National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) champions will be crowned at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Fla., this weekend. The action opens on Thursday, April 17 with the quarterfinals of the dual discipline bracket, followed by the semifinals of the dual and single discipline brackets on Friday, April 18, with the championship rides on Saturday, April 19. (Check out the noteworthy storylines heading into the event by clicking here.)

And for these talented young riders, their focus is on helping their respective teams hoist the hardware they’re chasing. Here are 10 names (as well as some honorable mentions) who could have a significant impact on their team’s chances of walking away as champions.

Riders to Watch: Western

Nya Kearns, SMU

Since arriving in Dallas five years ago, Kearns has been the most dominant horsemanship rider in NCEA history. She owns the league record with 31 Most Outstanding Performer honors and has been selected as a first-team All-American all five years.

She holds an unblemished 14-0 record this season with nine MOPs. Kearns has gone a staggering 60-7-1 during her career.

Alexia Tordoff, Auburn

For the first time in her career, Tordoff earned All-American honors in both western disciplines. She was a first-team pick in horsemanship for the first time thanks to a 12-2 record. Tordoff was also tabbed as the SEC's Horsemanship Rider of the Year on Monday.

The junior also earned honorable mention in reining after going 9-3-2. In total, she has earned eight MOPs this season. She has 55 total wins between the two disciplines in her career.

Logan Putvinski, UT Martin

Putvinski is a driving force behind the Skyhawks reaching new heights this spring, including their first trip to the NCEA Championship.

The first-team All-American in reining is one of five UT Martin equestrian student-athletes all-time to earn multiple All-American honors during their respective careers (she was second-team in 2023). She comes into Ocala with a 12-2 overall record this season, including wins in her last five head-to-head battles.

June Roberson, Oklahoma State

After going 11-2-1 overall with three MOPs in horsemanship this season, Roberson earned first-team All-American honors as the Cowgirls captured a fifth straight Big 12 title.

The junior also earned a spot on the All-Big 12 horsemanship team for the first time in her career. She’s shown a knack for the big stage as Roberson earned All-Championship team honors at the NCEA finale last spring.

Shea Graham, TCU

The two-discipline western standout earned her second straight first-team All-American honors in reining after going 13-2. She also accumulated a 9-6 mark in horsemanship and earned seven total MOPs this year.

It’s the sixth time in her career Graham has earned All-American accolades and the second straight year she’s appeared in both disciplines. She’s just the second Horned Frog to earn six All-American honors in their career.

Honorable mention: Alexa Black, SMU; Mattie Gustin, Texas A&M; Lauren Hanson, Texas A&M; Chalyce Head, SMU; Ellie Mason, UT Martin; Haley Turner, South Carolina.

Riders to Watch: Jumping Seat

Fallyn Belcastro, Lynchburg

Belcastro has eyes on a big finish as the senior was a second-team All-American on the flat while earning honorable mention honors in fences. She was honorable mention in both disciplines last spring.

After earning Old Dominion Athletic Conference Fences Rider of the Year for the second straight season, she’s hoping to lead the Hornets to a fourth straight single discipline NCEA title.

Avery Glynn, Auburn

The sophomore continued a strong start to her NCEA career, earning All-American honors in both fences (first-team) and flats (honorable mention).

She put together a perfect 12-0 showing in fences with a 6-3-3 mark in flat, with combined six MOPs between the disciplines, helping Auburn to the No. 2 seed in the bracket overall. For her effort, Glynn earned SEC Fences Rider of the Year. As a program, the Tigers have now captured this recognition seven straight years.

Amira Kettaneh, South Carolina

Kettaneh’s first season of college competition has been nothing short of spectacular as she earned second-team All-American honors in both fences and flats after getting nine wins in each discipline. She was also an All-SEC pick in each discipline as well.

She secured seven total MOPs, including five in fences, which is a school record for freshmen at South Carolina. Her success guided the Gamecocks to their first SEC title in more than a decade.

Riley Hogan, Oklahoma State

The Big 12 Flat and Co-Fences Rider of the Year had another spectacular season, going 11-3 in each discipline. She was a second-team All-American in fences and honorable mention on the flat.

In all, the senior earned 11 total MOPs and helped the Cowgirls to a fifth straight Big 12 title. If Oklahoma State is going to win its first title since 2022, they’ll need Hogan to recreate her freshman year success in Ocala. That season, she went 3-0 on the way to a championship.

Elli Yeager, SMU

It was a showcase year of development for the senior as she earned All-American honors in both flat (first-team) and fences (honorable mention). It’s her first time earning All-American honors since being second-team fences as a freshman.

On the flat, Yeager was 11-3, while going 10-4 in fences. She secured nine MOPs this year, and her eight career MOPs in flat competition are an SMU program record.

Honorable mention: Gabbie Adams, UT Martin; Tessa Brown, Georgia; Ellie Ferrigno, Auburn; Augusta Iwasaki, SMU; Natalie Jayne, South Carolina; Kathryn McCarthy, Charleston; Isabelle Mesiarik, Sweet Briar; Lucy Metzler, Lynchburg; Sophie Mitchell, South Carolina; Sophia Pilla, Georgia; Ashleigh Scully, TCU; Mary-Grace Segars, Auburn; Sophee Steckbeck, Auburn; Samantha Takacs, Dartmouth.