Oct. 8, 2011
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AUBURN - The Auburn Equestrian team opened up SEC competition in dramatic fashion with a 10-10, tiebreak win on Saturday at the Auburn University Horse Center.
Auburn won with a total raw score of 1486, defeating South Carolina's total raw score of 1444.5.
South Carolina won Horsemanship 3-2. Stephanie Rucci defeated Samantha Chiodo, 66-61, while Katie Kopf fell to Indy Roper, 74.5-68.5.
In Reining, Indy Roper defeated Jordan Brown 69.5-62.5 and Cheyenne Cracraft beat Melody Malbin 70-66.5. High-scorer Kristin Hansen earned MVP honors by defeating Annie Laurie McDonald, 74.5-67, helping Auburn claim the event, 3-2.
MVP Maggie McAlary helped the Tigers take Equitation Over Fences, 3-2, by defeating Paige Dekko 87-77. Quincy Hayes notched a point against Amber Henter, 79-78, while Jennifer Waxman defeated Alex Arute with a convincing 83-68 win.
"I felt I had a really confident round," McAlary said. "I trusted the horse, I knew what I had to do, I had a nice pace and everything just fell into place. Overall, this was a great team win for us."
Equitation on the Flat, won by South Carolina 3-2, saw Anna Becker defeat Kelsey Hart, 77-74, while Christina Lin took home MVP honors with a 75-65 win over Colvin Hedgepeth.
"I would have liked a little bit of a healthier win, but our girls hung in there," Auburn Head Coach Greg Williams said. "South Carolina capitalized on all of our mistakes, but at times our backs were against the wall and our girls kept battling so they deserve credit for that."
The Tigers conclude their three-meet home stand on Friday, Oct. 21, when they face Kansas State at the Auburn University Horse Center at 3 p.m. (CT).