April 6, 2017
AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Nine student-athletes of the Auburn equestrian team earned All-America honors, the NCEA selection committee announced Thursday.
"This team created another banner year for equestrian All-Americans," head coach Greg Williams said. "It's fun to see those individual accolades come in when everyone competes with a team first attitude. This group of All-Americans, along with their teammates, have put themselves at a level capable of winning a national championship next week."
The nine All-America selections was the most by any program this year.
Three Tigers earned first team recognition in Ashley Foster, Hayley Iannotti, and Kara Kaufmann. Foster, a senior from Brookeville, Md., was recognized for her efforts in Equitation Over Fences, having a 12-2 mark in the event. She has picked up three MOP honors in Fences this season and was placed on the All-SEC team.
Iannotti, of Wellington, Fla., has a team-best record in Equitation on the Flat, standing at 10-1 with one MOP on the year. The sophomore is currently on an eight-match winning streak for the Tigers and recently earned All-SEC recognition for her efforts this year.
Kaufmann, the 2017 SEC Freshman Horsemanship Rider of the Year, earned All-America first team honors in the event for Auburn. The Belvidere, N.J., product holds a 9-3-1 record in Horsemanship and her nine wins leads all Tigers in the discipline.
Sophomores Caitlin Boyle and Alex Ladove picked up second team honors in Fences, while classmate Ashton Alexander was placed on the Flat second team. Boyle is second on the squad with 10 wins in Fences and leads the team with five MOPs in the event. Ladove became a major contributor to the squad in the second half of the season and stands at 5-2 overall. Alexander has had a lot of success in Flat, standing at 8-4-1 overall with three MOP honors.
Senior Hannah Stephens was awarded All-America second team honors in Horsemanship, earning the first All-America nod of her career. She stands second on the squad with seven wins in the event and has picked up two MOP awards this season.
Senior Tory Hoft and sophomore Megan Rauh were placed on the honorable mention teams in their respective events. Hoft earned her second-consecutive NCEA recognition in Equitation on the Flat. She is second on the team with nine victories in the event. Rauh has found a lot of success this season in Horsemanship, earning two MOPs to go with her eight victories.
Auburn continues the postseason at the NCEA National Championship, competing as the No. 3 seed overall in Waco, Texas. The Tigers will begin competition Friday, April 14, taking on the winner of No. 6 South Carolina/No. 11 South Dakota State.
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