Following a 10-2 loss against No. 4 Baylor (14-4) last Saturday, the Mustangs finished their second season under head coach Ashley Schaeffer with a 5-10 record.

The Mustangs hold the No. 11 seed at this week’s Varsity Equestrian National Championships in Waco, Texas.

This marks the fifth time in the program’s six-year history that SMU has qualified for nationals, and the No. 11 seed is tied for the highest in school history – equaling the 2006 team.

“We are very excited about our seeding and the opportunity to pursue a national championship,” Schaeffer said on SMUMustangs.com. “We have faced a challenging schedule this year to prepare us for this opportunity.”

The team begins its quest for the title this afternoon against No. 6-seeded Oklahoma State University (9-3). SMU dropped its season opener against the Cowgirls (8-2) on Sept. 20 in Stillwater, Okla.

If the Mustangs beat Oklahoma State University, they will advance to face the No. 3 University of South Carolina on Thursday.

The championships, held at Baylor’s Heart of Texas Fair Complex, begin today and run through Saturday in Waco.

Junior Erica Buie topped the Bears’ Katie Ross (79-74) in the fences portion of the competition on April 4. Freshman Claire Wenholz followed suit with a close win (78-77) over Baylor sophomore Kendra Vicary.

In late March, Wenholz garnered her third career MVP honors following a 7-5 loss to Fresno State (7-6). Against the then-No. 8 Bulldogs, Wenholz defeated Kimmy Steinbuch (80-72) on the flat.

Since SMU’s home-opening upset over No. 2 Georgia, Wenholz has an individual record of 7-1 with one tie.