WACO, Texas – The National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) announced the dual and single discipline preseason rankings for the 2024-25 season, revealed Thursday.

TCU, the 2023-24 national runner-up, comes in at No. 1 for the preseason. Despite coming off its second-straight NCEA Championship title, SMU is revealed as the No. 2 for the preseason, with Texas A&M  in third after a semifinal finish in Ocala. The top-five is rounded out by Oklahoma State in fourth and Auburn in fifth.

On the single discipline side, three-time defending NCEA champion Lynchburg is No. 1 with Sweet Briar in second after finishing as the runner-up and Sacred Heart in the No. 3 slot. Sewanee is chosen fourth with Dartmouth finalizing the top five.

Dual Discipline

1.         TCU

2.         SMU

3.         Texas A&M

4.         Oklahoma State

5.         Auburn

6.         Georgia

7.         South Carolina

8.         UT Martin

9.         Delaware State

10.    Fresno State

About the NCEA

A non-profit corporation, the NCEA is a governing body to advance the sport of equestrian. The NCEA is responsible for the development and administration of equestrian rules and guidelines. Equestrian is subject to all NCAA policies and procedures in the same manner as other sports. In 1998, Equestrian was identified and adopted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Committee on Women's Athletics (CWA) as an emerging sport for women at the Division I and II levels. 

NCEA competitions are in a head-to-head format, and schools may choose to compete as a single or dual discipline team (Jumping Seat and Western). Each discipline has two events: in Jumping Seat, Fences and Flat, and in Western, Horsemanship and Reining. Teams can have five riders per event, with horses assigned by random draw at the start of the competition. Riders from opposing teams compete on the same horse, and whichever rider receives the higher score earns one point for her team. The level of difficulty is demonstrated by the accuracy of the pattern and how the competitor uses the horse to the best of her ability.

To stay up to date all year long on all things NCEA Equestrian, follow the organization on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @NCEA_Equestrian and @ncea_eq.

The Hornets have their fall season opener on Friday, September 27th at 9:00 a.m in Felton, DE against University of Minnesota Crookston.