Feb. 27, 2016
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| No. 1 Auburn def. No. 9 South Carolina | |
| Location | Auburn, Ala. | Auburn University Horse Center |
| Results | PDF| HTML |
| Video | Highlights |
| Photos | Photo Gallery |
| Online | Twitter: @AuburnEQ | Facebook: Auburn Gymnastics |
AUBURN, Ala. - The No. 1 Auburn equestrian team put together a dominating performance Saturday afternoon at the Auburn University Horse Center, defeating SEC rival and No. 9 South Carolina, 15-5. The win moved the Tigers to 8-1 overall and 4-1 in conference action.
The Hunt Seat crew had a big day for Auburn, sweeping the Gamecocks in both Equitation Over Fences and Equitation on the Flat.
"An SEC win like this is always big," head coach Greg Williams said. "I don't think there has ever been a complete sweep in a discipline in an SEC meet. Our Hunt Seat team has been excellent and our Western team has been equally has good. And as a whole, we've been able to put together a major win."
Another highlight for the Tigers was senior Elizabeth Benson's performance on the Flat. With her 96-75 win over South Carolina's Lizzie van der Walde, Benson became the program's winningest rider in the event with a new team record of 39 career wins. This new Auburn record joins Benson's career win record in Over Fences set last season.
"It's really exciting," Benson said. "Flat was my biggest goal for this semester and moving forward, getting this record is a big confidence boost."
The Equitation Over Fences corps opened up the day with a huge showing for Auburn, sweeping the Gamecocks with a score of 5-0. Junior Ashley Foster picked up her fifth win in the event this year, defeating Samantha Smith, 80-61. Freshman Hayley Iannotti tied a career-high with an 86 in her win over Chloe Schmidt, while classmate Caitlin Boyle topped Samantha Kraus, 87-80. Benson scored a season-high 96 in her victory, while freshman Ashton Alexander also totaled a season-high in a 95-83 win over Sydney Smith.
A pair of seniors in Griffin Knight and Hannah Loseke picked up wins for Auburn in Horsemanship. Knight scored a season-best 76 in the event to defeat Bailey Mierzejewski's 71. Loseke earned a 74.5-72.5 victory over Megan Overberg for her seventh of the season.
Following intermission, the Equitation on the Flat riders put together another 5-0 win for the Tigers. Foster topped Schmidt, 81-67, while Alexander earned an 88-61 victory over Erin Fry. Boyle totaled 92 points in her win over Kraus and junior Tory Hoft's 84 points bested Samantha Smith's 73. Benson capped Auburn's day in Hunt Seat with her record-breaking win.
The Tigers earned a trio of wins in Reining in senior Allie Dusha, sophomore Alexa Rivard and freshman Blair McFarlin. Dusha bested Makayla Clegg, 68.5-65, while Rivard set a new season-best with 73 points in her win over Bailey Walters. McFarlin earned a 71-69.5 victory over Madison Thiel.
Benson was awared MOP honors in both Fences and Flat events, while Knight picked up her first MOP award this season in Horsemanship.
The Tigers return to the Auburn University Horse Center for another SEC match-up, hosting No. 3 Texas A&M. The teams will face off Saturday, March 5, beginning at 1 p.m. CT. The meet will also serve as the team's Senior Day meet.
For the latest on Auburn equestrian, follow @AuburnEQ on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AuburnEQ.