Best of the Best: 12 Riders to Watch During the 2026 NCEA Championship

The pursuit of collegiate glory will come down to how well the entire team fares, but these dozen riders would have a major impact on the outcome.

The NCEA Championship will will start on Thursday at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Fla. Here are 12 riders to keep an eye on during the competition. | Graphics courtesy of college social media

College equestrian’s highest honors will be bestowed in Ocala, Fla., this weekend as the National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) holds its season-culminating championship event at the World Equestrian Center. The action starts Thursday, with dual and single disciplines champions being crowned on Saturday. 

While the outcome will be determined by how well an entire team performs, there are some top-tier riders who have the chance to set the tone and be difference makers for their respective programs. 

Here are six jumping seat and six Western riders to keep an eye on as the action unfolds. 

Riders to Watch: Jumping Seat

Caroline Olsen | Courtesy of Auburn Athletics

Caroline Olsen, Auburn

Rookie seasons don’t get much more impressive than what this Auburn freshman put together. Olsen earned first-team Ariat All-American honors in fences and a second-team nod on the flat, while capturing SEC Fences Rider of the Year and both fences and flat SEC Freshman Rider of the Year honors. Combined, Olsen went 19-4-1 between the two disciplines, including 10-1-1 in fences and 9-3 on the flat. 

Abby Zemp | Courtesy of Lynchburg Athletics

Abby Zemp, Lynchburg

Perfection, plain and simple. The senior finished her final regular season in impressive fashion, going 10-0 on the flat to earn first-team Ariat All-American accolades as well as Old Dominion Athletic Conference Flat Rider of the Year. Her success helped the Hornets go 10-2 as a team and earn the No. 1 seed in the single discipline bracket, putting them in position for the program’s fourth NCEA title in five years. 

Lilly Goldstein | Courtesy of TCU Athletics

Lilly Goldstein, TCU

Goldstein performed the two-discipline balancing act to perfection this season, tying for the team lead in wins in both fences and flats. The Horned Frog junior went a combined 18-9-1 between the two events (10-4 fences, 8-5-1 flat), earning second-team Ariat All-American recognition in both, while also capturing Big 12 Fences Rider of the Year. 

Avery Glynn | Courtesy of Auburn Athletics

Avery Glynn, Auburn

The one-two punch of Glynn and Olsen made the Tigers difficult to overcome in the jumping seat all season and a big reason the Tigers are the No. 1 overall seed going into the competition. Along with earning SEC Flat Rider of the Year, the junior was a first-team Ariat All-American on the flat and a second-team pick in fences, going 19-5 combined between the two.

Amira Kettaneh | Courtesy of South Carolina Athletics

Amira Kettaneh, South Carolina

Kettaneh didn’t nab as many of the accolades as some of her teammates, but the junior was a difference maker for the Gamecocks all season. She had nearly identical records in flats (9-4) and fences (9-4-1), while earning a combined 11 Most Outstanding Performer honors over the course of the year. Kettaneh was second-team Ariat All-American in fences for the second straight year. 

Camilla Jerng | Courtesy of Dartmouth Athletics

Camilla Jerng, Dartmouth

Jerng didn’t have many opportunities to compete this year, but she made them count. As a team, Dartmouth only took part in seven NCEA competitions, but Jerng went 5-0 on the flat during the regular season before earning Most Outstanding Performer honors in both flat and fences at the East Coast Athletic Conference Tournament, helping Dartmouth secure the program’s first conference title. 

Honorable mention: Alyssa Bauer, South Carolina; Amaya Bellfield, Lynchburg; Maddi Cardelli, Charleston; Naomi Dachis, Sweet Briar; Ella Duffy, Georgia; Kate Egan, Texas A&M; Cassidy Exner, Dartmouth; Augusta Iwasaki, SMU; Natalie Jayne, South Carolina; Paris Mahoney, Fresno State; Ariana Marnell, Auburn; Lily Muzzy, TCU; Grace Rabb, South Carolina; Sarah Rabb, South Carolina; Lainie Rubin, Charleston; Grace Russo, Dartmouth; Grace Shipman, Texas A&M; Carolina Signorino, SMU; Sadie Swift, Sweet Briar. 

Riders to Watch: Western

Shelby Robinette | Courtesy of Fresno State Athletics

Shelby Robinette, Fresno State

The Bulldogs are back in Ocala for the first time since the 2022 season and Robinette has been a standard setter all season. A rare two-event Western rider, the senior has saved her best for last, going a combined 16-7-1 between horsemanship and reining (eight wins each), and honorable mention Ariat All-American honors in both disciplines. 

Alexis Potts | Courtesy of South Carolina Athletics

Alexis Potts, South Carolina

Following a redshirt transfer year in 2024-25, Potts wasted no time making a major impact during her first season of competition in Columbia. The junior posted an impressive 11-1-2 mark in horsemanship on the way to first-team Ariat All-American honors and SEC Horsemanship Rider of the Year. 

Emma Filiatreau | Courtesy of Oklahoma State Athletics

Emma Filiatreau, Oklahoma State 

It was a big campaign for the junior as Filiatreau managed to put together a 7-1-1 showing during the regular season on her way to Big 12 Reining Rider of the Year honors. Along with earning five Most Outstanding Performer honors, Filiatreau helped Oklahoma State capture the program’s sixth-straight Big 12 title. 

Moriah McQueen | Courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics

Moriah McQueen, Texas A&M

Exploding on the scene. That’s the best way to describe what McQueen did this year. After only recording three exhibition rides through her first two seasons in College Station, the junior went 9-3 in reining on her way to second-team Ariat All-American honors. Her efforts helped the Aggies claim their first-ever SEC title and the program’s first conference crown since winning the Big 12 in 2011. 

Raegan Shepherd | Courtesy of Georgia Athletics

Raegan Shepherd, Georgia

The Bulldog senior was a key piece of the team’s championship run in 2025, going unbeaten in Ocala last April. That momentum carried over into 2026. Shepherd finished the year with a 9-3-1 reining record en route to capturing SEC Reining Rider of the Year and second-team Ariat All-America honors. She’ll look to lead Georgia to their first repeat title since a run of three straight from 2008-10. 

Madison Rafacz | Courtesy of SMU Athletics

Madison Rafacz, SMU

Yet another freshman with a record-breaking year, Rafacz made an immediate impact for the Mustangs. Over the course of the season, she amassed an 8-0-2 record with four Most Outstanding Performer honors. Along the way, Rafacz was selected as NCEA Reining Rider of the Month three times, the most by any freshman in league history, and earned first-team Ariat All-American. 

Honorable mention: Ava Bush, Oklahoma State; Olivia Cardi, South Carolina; Bella D’Onofrio, Oklahoma State; Cadence Eger, Georgia; Caroline Frendenburg, Auburn; Abby Goodard, Fresno State; Mattie Gustin, Texas A&M; Cassie Hacking, TCU; Brogan Hill, Fresno State; Carly Jenkins, South Carolina; Brooke Jolstad, Auburn; Shelby Lynch, Georgia; Kendall McClintock, Georgia; June Roberson, Oklahoma State; Calla Thomas, TCU; Alexia Tordoff, Auburn; Abbey Zawisza, Georgia.