April 16, 2015
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WACO, Texas - The No. 5 Auburn equestrian team defeated 12th-seeded UT-Martin, 13-3, on Thursday to advance to the second round of the NCEA Championships at the Extraco Events Center in Waco, Texas.
"It was a great win," head coach Greg Williams said. "We did everything we wanted, and the girls made a statement. They showed what they can do. The only points we didn't win we actually had some pretty big errors and a couple of those we could have gone our way. That is riding well when you can have a penalty and still almost come out on top, but who is going to complain when you have a 13-3 win? It is a huge, solid victory. I can't wait to get back out there."
Auburn tied the Skyhawks, 2-2, in Reining to start the match, picking up wins from senior Katsy Leeman, who defeated Maddy Williams, 135.5-131 and freshman Alexa Rivard, who topped Katie Kallvig, 141-138.
In Equitation on the Flat, Auburn swept the event as sophomore Tory Hoft knocked off Mia Bray, 174-163, before senior Demi Stiegler topped Hunter Ralston, 178-158. Junior Elizabeth defeated Mykaela Vanselus, 180-164 and sophomore Ashley Foster bettered Reid Rickett, 161-158, to give the Tigers a 6-2 lead at the half.
Senior Lucy Igoe defeated Cora Rogaski, 142.5-134.5, in Horsemanship and Leeman beat Katie Slifko, 143-140, before junior Griffin Knight clinched the victory for Auburn with a 144.5-136.5 victory over Jordan Elmore.
The Tigers pulled off the sweep in Equitation over Fences as Benson toppled Nora Wilson, 181-165 and Peyton Smith defeated Rachel Crinklaw, 139-134. Foster scored a 157 to beat Hunter Ralston's 140, while Stiegler closed the match with a 175-149 win over Reid Rickett.
Auburn will face No. 4 Texas A&M at 8:30 a.m. CT on Friday. Live scoring for the meet can be found here.
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