Lynchburg Reporter

University of Lynchburg's equestrian program will begin the 2022-23 National Collegiate Equestrian Association season in newfound territory – No. 1 in the country.

The NCEA named Lynchburg its preseason No. 1 in the single-discipline category, the organization announced Tuesday afternoon with its full ahead-of-the-year rankings for 2022-23. It is the first time any Lynchburg program has earned a national No. 1 ranking since women's soccer held the top spot in the D3soccer.com poll Sept. 30, 2015.

Lynchburg, the defending NCEA single-discipline national champion, finished the 2021-22 season with a 7-8 overall record but went 6-2 against other single-discipline programs, including a pair of 5-3 wins over Sewanee and Sweet Briar in April at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Fla. to lay claim to the program's first national title.

The Hornets return all but one contributor from that championship team, making themselves the favorite to repeat next spring. National runner-up Sweet Briar checked in second in the poll, followed by Dartmouth, Sewanee, and Sacred Heart rounding out the five ranked single-discipline schools.

Defending dual-discipline national champion Oklahoma State topped the NCEA's other rankings category.

The NCEA's rankings are determined weekly during the season by conference call among the association's selections committee, which includes representatives from eight NCEA member institutions.

Lynchburg's NCEA team will start the new season Saturday, Sept. 24 in Etna, N.H. against No. 3 Dartmouth at the Big Green's Morton Farm. 

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NCEA Preseason Single-Discipline Rankings

1. Lynchburg

2. Sweet Briar

3. Sewanee

4. Dartmouth

5. Sacred Heart 

NCEA Preseason Dual-Discipline Rankings

1. Oklahoma State

2. Texas A&M

3. TCU

4. SMU

5. Georgia

6. Auburn

7. Baylor

8. Fresno State

9. UT Martin

10. South Carolina 

Original source can be found here.