Sept. 18, 2009
AUBURN - The Auburn equestrian swept the doubleheader against Texas Christian and Southern Methodist at the Auburn Equestrian Center Friday in the season opener. Auburn defeated the Horned Frogs 13-6 and the Mustangs 7-4.
"Winning the first meet sets the tone," said Auburn head coach Greg Williams. "You've got to set yourself up for how the season is going to progress win or lose. What we've done is probably the biggest part for us, is having a win against TCU, whose one of the strongest Western teams in the country. Having the home horse advantage is nice and beating a team like TCU is always big. Our Hunt Seat girls also rode very well. Like TCU's Western team, our Hunt Seat team has been in the finals (at the national championships) the past two years. This was a big step up that our Western girls have been working for. They've been practicing and working out for this, and they're molding into the Western team that I've always known they could be."
Auburn won Hunt Seat Equitation over Fences 4-1 behind MVP Anna Schierholz, who defeated Taylor Frederick 90-73. Other Tiger winners included Maggie McAlary over Tassie Munroe 75-65, Grace Socha over Lauren Quiroz 87-82 and Elise Fraza over Julie Skobel 85-75. Horned Frog winners include Victoria Lee over Dottie Grubb 74-68.
Auburn won Hunt Seat Equitation on the Flat 3-2. Texas Christian's Jessica Hagen earned MVP honors defeating Lindsay Portela 78-61. Other Horned Frog winners include Milana Trimino over Anna Schierholz 66-60. Tiger winners included Chelsea Anheuser over Julie Skobel 64-59, Maggie McAlary over Tassie Munroe 68-65 and Katie Breedlove over Callie Selchau 63-48.
Auburn won Western Horsemanship 4-0 behind MVP Indy Roper, who defeated Ashley Aikman 72.5-71.5. Other Tiger winners included Jessica Jones over Courtney Chown 73.5-67.5, Kylie Miller over Kelsey Huffman 72.5-72 and Bailey Dymond over Chloe Baker 71-70.5. Tying with a score of 70 were Auburn's Kristin Hansen and Texas Christian's Lexie Estrada.
Texas Christian won Western Reining 3-2. Auburn's Paige Monfore earned MVP honors despite losing to Kelsey Huffman 65.5-62. Other Horned Frog winners included Carrie Von Uhlit 70-69.5 and Kolby Simonson 68-67.5. Tiger winners included Lyndsey Jordan over Ashton Mikinas 69.5-67.5 and Jillian Fuller over Chloe Baker 69.5-69.
"It was a good finish to the day, beating a good team like SMU," said Williams.
Auburn won Hunt Seat Equitation over Fences 5-1 behind MVP Anna Schierholz, who defeated Mallory Olson 85-80. Other Tiger winners included Chelsea Anheuser over Lauren Lieberman 78-76, Maggie McAlary over Lucy Needham 79-70, Grace Socha over Emily Gardner 76-72 and Mallory Kolpin over Alex Roos 74-68. Mustang winners include Kate Wilson over Dottie Grubb 72-65.
Southern Methodist won Hunt Seat Equitation on the Flat 3-2 behind MVP Maia Van Dyke, who defeated Elise Fraza 86-0 (0 refers to a no score because of a penalty). Other Mustang winners included Kristen Collins over Dottie Grubb 81-59 and Jennifer Weeks over Grace Socha 68-0. Tiger winners included Chelsea Anheuser over Clair Wenholz 79-70 and Lindsay Portela over Laura Ratliff 75-46. Tying with a score of 58 were Auburn's Rachel Cooper and Southern Methodist's Morgan Toal.
Auburn rides at home against conference rival South Carolina Oct. 2 at 3 p.m. CT at the Auburn Equestrian Center. The meet is open to the public, and admission is free.