Harrington, Del. (Mar. 25, 2022) --- Delaware State's bid for its first equestrian conference since 2017 fell a few points short. The third-seeded Hornets lost to No. 2 Tennessee Martin in an ECAC Tournament semifinal at the State Fairgrounds today. The final match score was 10-10, but the Skyhawks won by 15 points in raw scoring to claim the victory. Tennessee Martin took four of five contests on the Flat, the final competition of the match, to even the score and force the tiebreaker. 
Tennessee Martin will face No. 1 seed and defending champ SMU in the tournament final on Saturday.  The Mustangs pulled out a 10-9 victory over scrappy Cal Davis, the No. 4 seed, to reach the final match.
The Hornets swept the Reining competition, winning all five rides; and posted a 3-2 victory in Horsemanship in the Western competition.
The Hornets were seeking  their second conference championship in team history. Delaware State won the United Equestrian Conference crown in 2017, defeating SMU on a ride-off, also at the State Fairgrounds.  
Delaware state's Anastasia Brugger was Most Outstanding Performer in Reining with a total score of (137.5) Wilson had the Hornets' highest combined score in Reining at 140 aboard "Lyle."
Aiden Stetzer (137), Amber Van Segbrook (136.5) and Abbey Craver (133.5) also earned Reining points for the Hornets vs. Tennessee Martin.
In the Horsemanship competition, Kelsey McArthur was Delaware State's leader with a total of 148.5. Teammates Jenna Davis (143.5) and Aniela Cortina also collected Horsemanship points for their rides.
Tennessee Martin started quickly in the semifinal match with a 4-1 Fences victory over the Hornets. Gabrielle Fournier was Delaware State's lone winner in Fences with a score of 138, although Olivia Brown posted a team-high Fences total of 170 in a tough-luck loss.