Nov. 9, 2013
AUBURN, Ala. - Penalties plagued the second-ranked Auburn equestrian team in the 2013 SEC opener, as they fell to fifth-ranked South Carolina, 12-6, Saturday at the Auburn Horse Center.
Auburn (2-1, 0-1 SEC) got in a hole early when South Carolina took a strong 7-3 lead after the first two events, winning equitation over fences, 3-2, and horsemanship, 4-1. Demi Stiegler and Christina Lin were winners in over fences and Griffin Knight scored a strong 74 for the lone victory in horsemanship.
The Tigers closed the gap a bit after halftime pulling in two wins in reining and one in equitation in the flat, while holding the Gamecocks to just five wins, but the early deficit was too much to overcome.
"It was our own mistakes that got us today," said head coach Greg Williams. "It is something the coaches have worked on and talked about. While we had a lot more of them today, this is exactly what happened to us at SECs last year (against South Carolina).
"As coaches we need to find out how much of those mistakes are our fault and something we can fix. We need to work with each girl so they can just turn loose and ride."
Stiegler was named the Most Outstanding Player in fences and remained undefeated when she picked up her second win of the day in equitation in the flat She posted her season-best score in the flat with an 82. She is now 5-0 on the season.
Another bright spot for Auburn was a pair of wins from Knight, who also recorded her highest two scores of the season with a 74 in horsemanship and 71 in reining. She moves to 4-0-1 overall on the year.
"Demi and Griffin are absolutely pouring it on in two events," Williams added. "It's been a lot of fun. Griffin is getting a lot more confident, especially in the reining. Actually I saw a lot of positive rides today. We just had a few mistakes that cost us."
Senior Katsy Leeman earned MOP honors in reining and got her third win in as many competitions.
Most Outstanding Players (MOP)
Equitation over Fences: Demi Stiegler, Auburn
Horsemanship: Johnna Letchworth, South Carolina
Equitation in the Flat: Katherine Schmidt, South Carolina
Reining: Katsy Leeman, Auburn
UP NEXT: Auburn won't have long to wait before the next competition as it prepares for a matchup against the No. 1 team in the nation, conference foe, Georgia. The Tigers and Bulldogs square off on Friday, Nov. 15 at 3 p.m. at the AU Horse Center.