March 8, 2014
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| The Senior Class of 2014: Cheyenne Cracraft, Piper Donnelly, Quincy Hayes, Christina Lin, Stephanie Rucci, Jennifer Waxman, Chelsea Zillner (Anthony Hall photo) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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AUBURN, Ala. - The fourth-ranked Auburn equestrian team closed out the regular season Saturday with a dominant 16-4 win over New Mexico State on Senior Day.
"The performances were unbelievable," head coach Greg Williams said. "I think they charged at it and really went for it. They've had a great attitudes, great practices this week. They rode their rides and trusted themselves, and it showed. It was a dominating performance. I attribute it to them playing their game. This is exactly how you want to go into the postseason.
"This is a group (of seniors) that could lead us to a third national championship," Williams said. "I have all the faith in them. The seniors are riding well. We need to focused on staying one team and keeping that kind of energy. They want to win and they're are staying together."
Auburn (9-4, 3-3 SEC) kicked off the meet with equitation over fences where Auburn started strong, gaining a 4-1 lead. Wins came from Christina Lin, Demi Stiegler, Elizabeth Benson, and Quincy Hayes. With her last ride over fences at home, senior Lin picked up the Most Outstanding Player award with a score of 87.
In the western arena, Auburn added to the overall lead with a 3-2 win in horsemanship. Griffin Knight led the way with her first win of the day, scoring a season-high 76.5, and picking up MOP honors. She was joined in the win column by Stephanie Rucci and Hannah Loseke. After two events, the Tigers led 7-3.
After intermission, Auburn swept equitation in the flat, winning 5-0. Stiegler posted a huge score of 90, winning the MOP honor. Other big scores were posted by Benson with an 85, and freshman Ashley Foster with an 87. Lin won her second head-to-head matchup of the day, and Jennifer Delman picked up a win.
The meet concluded with a 4-1 win in reining. Senior Rucci won Most Outstanding Player with her score of 71.5. She was a double winner, alongside Knight. Morgan Burns and Hailey Munger also picked up wins.
The Tigers head to the postseason as the No. 3 seed at the SEC Championships on March 28-29 in Blythewood, S.C.
The meet began by recognizing seven seniors who have helped lead the Tigers to two equestrian national championship titles in the past three years and will be looking for their third at the end of April. The class features more than 200 individual wins, two all-time Auburn record holders, four All-Americans and All-SEC selections and 38 MOP honors. The seven seniors were: Cheyenne Cracraft, Piper Donnelly, Quincy Hayes, Christina Lin, Stephanie Rucci, Jennifer Waxman and Chelsea Zillner.
MOP's
Equitation over Fences- Christina Lin, Auburn
Horsemanship- Griffin Knight, Auburn
Equitation in the Flat- Demi Stiegler, Auburn
Reining- Stephanie Rucci, Auburn
SPECIAL GROUNDBREAKING: Auburn Equestrian, in partnership with the College of Agriculture, held a groundbreaking ceremony prior to today's meet to announce the building of a covered arena. The covered arena will provide a competition and practice space for the Auburn Equestrian team. The new covered arena is going to prove to be an outstanding addition to the horse center facility providing a riding space that allows the team to practice in inclement weather as well as improved footing for performance horses and a fan friendly environment. Construction will begin after the conclusion of the 2013-14 season.