BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Texas A&M equestrian standouts Ellie Gerbrandt, Ariana Gray, Cori Cansdale, Lisa Bricker, Keesa Luers, Lauren Hanson, Alexa Leong, Devan Thomas and Alexis Ortiz earned All-SEC honors, as announced by the conference Monday afternoon.
Gerbrandt was named the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year as recently announced. Bricker, Gray, Hanson and Luers earned a spot on the All-SEC Reining Team with Gray being named the SEC Reining Rider of the Year. Cansdale earned All-SEC honors in Horsemanship, while Leong and Thomas were named to the SEC All-Freshman Team in Fences and Flat, respectively. Thomas was also named the Co-Freshman Flat Rider of the Year. Ortiz was tabbed as a member of the SEC Community Service Team.
Gray used an 11-2-2 record to log her first career All-SEC honor. The senior from Calgary, Alberta, was also named a National Collegiate Equestrian Association First Team All-American and NCEA First Team Academic honoree.
Bricker was named to the All-SEC Reining team for the second season in a row. She finished the regular season with a 9-3-1 record, recording her 10th win at the SEC Championships. Bricker also earned NCEA First Team All-America honors this season.
Luers and Hanson each earned a spot on the SEC All-Reining Team for the first time in their careers as they both met the 10-win mark. Luers was named a NCEA First Team All-American and Hanson notched honorable mention honors.
Collecting double-digit wins for the first time in her career, Cansdale earned All-SEC Horsemanship selections for the first time in her career. She was also named a NCEA Second Team All-American and earned First Team All-Academic honors.
The two freshmen in the starting lineup, Leong and Thomas were mentioned on the All-SEC Freshman Fences and Flat teams, respectively. Leong tallied seven wins and three Most Outstanding Performer Honors. Thomas registered eight wins with one MOP honor to be named the Co-Freshman Flat Rider of the Year. Both Leong and Thomas earned NCEA All-Academic First Team mentions.
Alexis Ortiz was tabbed as a member of the SEC Community Service Team for her work outside of the arena. The junior served as an equestrian summer camp counselor, an intern for AmplifyU, the Vice President of Selfless Service for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the Boy and Girls Club Student Organization Treasurer. Ortiz was also named to the NCEA Academic Honor Roll.
The Aggies open the NCEA Championships as the No. 5 seed against fourth-seeded TCU on April 13 at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida.To learn more about Texas A&M equestrian, log on to 12thMan.com or follow @AggieEquestrian on Twitter and Instagram.
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