By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information
HARRINGTON, Del. – Following the completion of the Eastern College Athletic Conference Equestrian Championship tournament, the league announced Carter Anderson from the University of Tennessee at Martin as its recipient of the 2021-22 Assistant Coach of the Year Award.
In her first season on the Skyhawk coaching staff, Anderson oversaw the squad’s Jumping Seat riders. In fences, six different UT Martin riders combined for 44 victories and 10 MOP’s while seven separate Skyhawks registered 38 total wins and eight MOP’s in flat.
Anderson mentored a trio of All-ECAC honorees during the 2021-22 campaign, including Kelby Kane (fences), Haley Kane (fences) and Julia Gilman (flat). Kelby Kane was additionally named ECAC Fences Rider of the Year, becoming the first-ever UT Martin representative to earn that title.
Under Anderson’s guidance, the Skyhawks collected eight ECAC Rider of the Week honors in the Jumping Seat discipline this season. Kelby Kane was a four-time recipient of the league’s top fences accolade (Oct. 5, Nov. 16, Feb. 1, March 15) Julia Gilman (Oct. 5, March 15), Tyler Anderson (Oct. 19) and Sophia Sundem (Feb. 1) notched the ECAC’s best weekly performance in flat.
“We are all so ecstatic for Coach Carter,” UT Martin head coach Kim Leiter said. “From Day One, she hit the ground running and made an immediate impact not just in Jumping Seat but in all aspects of our program. She is a rising star in this profession and we are so grateful to have her on our staff.”
A Knoxville, Tenn. native, Anderson helped the Skyhawks to a top-10 ranking in nine different weeks of the National Collegiate Equestrian Association polls in 2021-22. UT Martin currently owns eight victories and coasted to a 7-2 record against ECAC foes, advancing to the league’s championship meet for the second straight season.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information