March 23, 2017
AUBURN, Ala. -- The No. 1 Auburn equestrian is set to host the 2017 SEC Championship as the Tigers welcome No. 4 Texas A&M, No. 5 Georgia, and No. 7 South Carolina to the Auburn University Horse Center, March 24-25. The two-day tournament kicks off at 9 a.m. CT every day and admission is free.
Championship Central | Auburn Notes
"We're really looking forward to welcoming our conference rivals to Auburn for a big weekend," head coach Greg Williams said. "As good as all SEC teams are, we know that if we're riding to our potential, good things will happen for us. We need to ride with a mission and need to ride to win."
The Tigers are the No. 2 seed and will take on No. 3 seed Texas A&M Friday at 9 a.m. CT. The Bulldogs (No. 1) and the Gamecocks (No. 4) follow at 1:30 p.m. CT. The winners from the first day will advance to the championship match that is slated for 1:30 p.m. CT Saturday, while the other two teams will compete for third place prior to the championship match at 9 a.m. CT.
Fans should note: because this is a championship event, dogs will not be permitted on site.
AUBURN LINEUP
The lineup for the Tigers (8-3) features a handful of experience as the squad looks to become a back-to-back SEC champion.
The Equitation Over Fences crew will be led by senior Ashley Foster, who has a team-best 11-1 overall record in the event. Sophomores Caitlin Boyle, Hayley Iannotti, Alex Ladove and Ashton Alexander are also set to compete.
Senior Tory Hoft will look for her ninth win of the season in Equitation on the Flat. She will be joined by Foster along with Iannotti, Alexander and Boyle on the weekend.
The Horsemanship corps has experienced a lot of success this season and will be led by senior Hannah Stephens and sophomores Lauren Diaz and Megan Rauh. Freshman Horsemanship powerhouse Kara Kaufmann will also start as she holds a team-best overall record at 9-1-1 in her first season with the squad. Junior transfer Kelsey Jung will also ride for the Tigers in the event.
The Reining roster will not change over the two days and will feature experienced competitor Alexa Rivard followed by sophomores Betsy Brown and Blair McFarlin. Diaz and Kaufmann, both major forces in Horsemanship, will also compete in Reining for the Tigers.
UP NEXT
Auburn continues the postseason at the NCEA Championships. The multi-day event is set for April 13-15 in the Extraco Events Center in Waco, Texas.
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