STEPHENVILLE, Texas—The Southern Nazarene Equestrian team headed south to Texas over the weekend to open their season at the Western Shows in Stephenville, Texas hosted by the University of North Texas.

The team competed in the Beginner, Rookie A and B, and Level 1 divisions. They saw many new faces compete in their first collegiate show. Coach Deborah Letham spoke highly of the team's focus throughout the week as they prepared for the first show of the year.

The team put together a strong showing to start the season with five top-5 finishers on Saturday, including a first place finish for Tessa Bethea. Emly Medlin took a second place finish, while Charity Logeman took third in her first collegiate show.

Oliva Harris took fourth place, while Lauren Baldwin was the other Storm rider in the top-5 with a fifth place finish of her own. Raegan Cleveland, Emily Nordhues, Patrica Wilson, and Erin Sims each finished 6th.

The Storm followed up their Saturday showing with seven top-5 finishers on Sunday. Emily Medlin grabbed the top spot with a first place finish, while Emily Nordhues and Charity Logeman each improved on their performances as well with second place finishes. Tessa Bethea and Lauren Baldwin finished in third, while Erin Sims and Patricia Wilson jumped up to 4th. Jasmine Massey rounded out the top-5 finishers with a fifth place showing of her own.

The Storm will take a couple of weeks off before switching disciplines to the Hunt Shows in Ardmore, Okla. October 23-24. The hunt shows will be hosted by the University of Oklahoma.