April 12, 2012
Waco, Texas -
The No. 5 Auburn equestrian team picked up a win in Hunt Seat, but fell in a tough matchup in Western on the first day of the 2012 National Collegiate Equestrian Championships on Thursday in Waco, Texas.
"We had a close win in Hunt Seat, but it is still a win," Auburn head coach Greg Williams said. "We lost a tough one in Western, but I am proud of our girls. We are going to battle again tomorrow and plan on advancing to Saturday."
The top-seeded Hunt Seat team defeated No. 9-seed Kansas State, 1119-1057, in raw score after the competition ended in a 4-4 tie, while the No. 4 seed Western team fell to fifth-seeded South Carolina, 5-3.
In the Hunt Seat arena, Auburn and Kansas State split both equitation events, 2-2, forcing the tie to be broken by raw score.
In Equitation over Fences, the Tigers picked up wins from Jennifer Waxman and Grace Socha. Waxman defeated the Wildcats' Madison Wayda, 165-155, while Socha defeated Sarah Mershon, 157-156.
In Equitation on the Flat, Auburn winners were Christina Lin and Lindsay Portela, as Lin defeated Wayda, 165-155, and Portela defeated Larissa Laffey, 118-0.
The Western riders tied, 2-2, in Horsemanship, but fell, 3-1, in Reining, giving South Carolina the advantage.
The Tigers earned points in Horsemanship from Stephanie Rucci and Indy Roper, as Rucci defeated the Gamecocks' Samantha Chiodo, 146.5-144, and Roper defeated Alison Cerasani, 145-142.5.
In Reining, Auburn's lone point came from Roper's 137-132 victory over Cody McMillion.
The Hunt Seat team will advance to the semifinal round of competition against No. 4-seed Baylor on Friday. The Western team moves to the consolation bracket and will face eighth-seeded Fresno State, after the Bulldogs fell to No. 1-seed Texas A&M, 8-0.