March 25, 2016
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| No. 1 Auburn Advances to SEC Championship Final | |
| Location | Bishop, Ga. | UGA Equestrian Complex |
| Results | |
| Championship Central | Live Scoring & Weekend Information |
| Online | Twitter: @AuburnEQ | Facebook: Auburn Equestrian |
BISHOP, Ga. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" The No. 1 Auburn equestrian team will compete in the SEC Championship title match for the first time since 2013 after besting fourth-seed South Carolina, 11-7, Friday on the opening day of the 2016 SEC Championship. The conference meet is being held at the UGA Equestrian Complex in Bishop, Ga.
The Tigers will take on No. 2 seed and host Georgia for the SEC title Saturday, March 26, at 1 p.m. CT.
"It was good to come away with a win, but I don't think we rode as well as we're capable of," head coach Greg Williams said. "The team feels good about tomorrow and we plan on coming out hard in the championship."
With the win, the Tigers improved to 12-1 overall and it was the third victory over the Gamecocks this season.
Tied at 7-7 with one event remaining, the Equitation on the Flat crew picked up four wins and a tie to solidify the team win. Senior Elizabeth Benson earned her 13th win of the season with a 176-172 victory over Samantha Kraus. That set a new Auburn season wins record in the event.
Junior Ashley Foster followed with a 145-140 win against Samantha Smith, while freshmen Caitlin Boyle and Ashton Alexander closed out Flat with a 154-130 win and a 161-146 victory, respectively. Junior Tory Hoft finished her Flat ride tied with Gamecock Chloe Schmidt, 149-149.
The day opened with a 3-2 win in Equitation over Fences. Auburn was led by a trio of freshmen in the event as Boyle, Hayley Iannotti and Alexander each came away with a victory. Boyle topped S. Smith, 174-164, while Iannotti came away with a 165-160 win over Kraus. Alexander finished the event with a 166-153 victory over Schmidt. With their wins, Iannotti and Boyle upped their season total to a team-best 12.
Freshmen Lauren Diaz and Megan Rauh earned a pair of wins for Auburn in Horsemanship. Diaz picked up her eighth win of the year as she defeated Courtney Allen, 145.5-132, while Rauh edged Bailey Mierzejewski, 147.5-145.5. Auburn and South Carolina went into intermission tied 5-5.
"The freshmen have been unreal all year," Williams said. "We have a really strong group of underclassmen so the future is great for Auburn equestrian. I'm so proud of the way they performed in a high-pressure situation today."
Each team picked up a pair of wins in Reining to finish three events tied at 7-7. Senior Allie Dusha opened with a 140-135 victory over Bridgett White. Freshman Blair McFarlin closed out the event with a 136.5-132 win over Sarah Bouchard. Senior Hailey Munger picked up a tie in her match as she and Gamecock Paisley Roberts each finished with a 135.
For the latest on Auburn equestrian, follow @AuburnEQ on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AuburnEQ.