Kayla Bardgett and her Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) teammates have reached the pinnacle of collegiate equestrianism, officially being named the 2025-26 Tournament of Champions Series winners.
In what has been a historic 35th anniversary season for the prestigious series, the SCAD "Bees" delivered a campaign of unprecedented dominance. The team secured their first national title of the year by claiming victory in three of the four major shows across the calendar, a feat that underscored their status as the premier force in the discipline.
Such was the clinical nature of their season that SCAD entered the final show of the series—the Spring Classic in Findlay—having already mathematically secured the overall championship. However, rather than coasting to the finish line, the Bees produced a performance that served as a definitive exclamation point on a legendary year for the program.
Under the guidance of Director of Equestrian Ashley Henry and Assistant Coach Sammy Perlman, the team finished the series with a record-high 98 points, a total calculated from their highest two-show scores. The season will be long remembered for a historic milestone reached in January 2026, where the Bees achieved the Tournament’s first-ever "perfect" score during the Winter Classic.
For Bardgett and her teammates, the Series Championship marks the culmination of a relentless training program and a testament to the depth of talent within the Savannah-based stable. With one national title already secured, the focus now shifts to the remaining postseason championships as SCAD looks to add further silverware to a record-breaking 2025-26 campaign.
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