MTSU Western riders bring home national title

2023 Jun 6

For the first time in school history, the Middle Tennessee State University equestrian team took home the Western National Championship trophy at the 2023 Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association National Championship.

Held earlier in May at Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, five Blue Raider riders qualified as a western team and four riders qualified individually through placing top four at semifinals earlier in the spring. In a down-to-the-wire finish, MTSU edged St. Andrews University and Midway College by one point after MTSU's Jordan Martin placed second in Team Open Horsemanship, the last team class of the day.

Team and individual class awards included:

Team awards

Jordan Martin was the Team Open Horsemanship reserve national champion and placed fourth in Team Open Reining.

Sadio Barnes was the national champion in Team Beginner Western Horsemanship.

Jessie Kauffman, a junior nursing major from Woodbury, Tennessee, placed fourth in the Team Rookie Horsemanship.

Mackenzie Latimer, a junior dietetics and horse science major from Millbrook, New York, placed third in the Team Level 1 Horsemanship.

Audrey Ferrie, a junior business administration major from Warren, Pennsylvania, placed fourth in the Team Level 2 Horsemanship and third in the Team Ranch Riding.

Individual class awards

Martin, in addition to Back on Track Reserve Highpoint Western Rider, placed sixth in Individual Open Horsemanship.

Madison Westbrook, a senior nursing major from Murfreesboro, placed seventh in Individual Level 1 Horsemanship.

Louann Braunwalder, a junior horse science and fermentation science major from Lascassas, Tennessee, placed third in Individual Level 1 Horsemanship.

Hannah Price, a junior horse science major from Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, placed third in Individual Beginner Horsemanship.

For the entire story, go to https://mtsunews.com/equestrian-team-national-title-2023/.