April 18, 2015
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WACO, Texas -- The No. 5 Auburn equestrian team fell to No. 1 Georgia, 10-6, on Saturday in the semifinal round of the NCEA Championships at the Extraco Events Center.
"Georgia's horsemanship is the best horsemanship squad in the country, so we knew we needed to get some points there," head coach Greg Williams said. "The girls fought hard. They rode well. They did well in Fences, but we just had a few unfortunate things happen. I am happy with their effort and the way we competed. We just lost to a great team today. Hats off to Georgia. They did a fantastic job."
The Tigers garnered a 5-3 lead in the first half, winning Equitation on the Flat, 3-1, before tying 2-2 in Reining. Junior All-American Elizabeth earned the first point for Auburn, defeating Liza Finsness in Flat, 192-177. Sophomore Ashley Foster topped Leylan Gleeson, 177-169, and senior Demi Stiegler recorded a 189-187 victory over Kylee Arbuckle.
In Reining, freshman Alexa Rivard defeated Charley Thiel, 137.5-128.5, to finish 3-0 at the NCEA Championships. Senior Katsy Leeman closed the event with a 134.5-0 win over Lauren Tieche.
Benson earned the lone point for the Tigers in Fences, toppling Leylan Gleeson, 186-163. The SEC Fences Rider of the Year and first team All-American finished the season with 15 wins in the event, a new school record.
"This season I thought we got stronger as the year went on," Williams continued. "We knew there were some things that we were going to overachieve a little if we were going to win in the postseason. The important thing is the coaches put them in place to succeed, but the girls pulled the team together. They became very unified, and I don't know when they'll realize what they accomplished, but they did their part. I wish we could've finished by being in the final round, but they are about as good as anybody."
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