Nov. 1, 2017
No. 3 Auburn at No. 2 Texas A&M
(2-0) vs (5-1)
MEET
| Friday, Nov. 3 | 10 a.m. CT | |
| #3 Auburn at #2 Texas A&M | ||
AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" The No. 3 Auburn equestrian team takes to the road for its first Southeastern Conference meet of the season, facing No. 2 Texas A&M Friday, Nov. 3, at the Hildebrand Equine Complex in College Station. The Tigers and the Aggies will go head-to-head at 10 a.m. CT.
"We are expecting this to be a tough trip, but the team is absolutely ready to go," head coach Greg Williams said. "Texas A&M is the defending national champion and being on the road is never easy in this sport. However, the team is focused and looking forward to this weekend."
AUBURN LINEUP
The Auburn competition lineup at Texas A&M will feature two seniors, eight juniors, two sophomores, and five freshmen.
The Hunt Seat corps primarily consists of upperclassmen with junior All-Americans Ashton Alexander, Caitlin Boyle, and Hayley Iannotti leading the way in both Equitation Over Fences and Equitation on the Flat. Boyle leads the Tigers with six wins on the year, having three in both events. Alexander and Iannotti are second on the squad with four victories apiece.
Joining the trio in Equitation Over Fences is classmate and All-American Alex Ladove and freshman Carly Hoft. Friday will be Hoft's first-career start for the Tigers. Senior Caitlin Creel and sophomore Becky Kozma are set to compete for Auburn in Equitation on the Flat. Creel will also ride in exhibition in Fences, while junior Mackenzie Michaels and sophomore Anna Claire Smith are set to compete in exhibition in Flat.
Auburn's Horsemanship lineup is a balanced mixture of experience and youth as three upperclassmen are joined by a pair of freshmen. Leading the way is freshman phenom Deanna Green, who leads the team with three wins and three MOP honors this year in the event. Joining her is the experienced group of sophomore Kara Kaufmann, redshirt junior Kelsey Jung, and junior Lauren Diaz. Freshman Taylor Searles will also ride for score against the Aggies, while junior Megan Rauh and sophomore Drew Rogers will compete in exhibition.
In Reining, senior Alexa Rivard leads the Tigers and is two wins away from breaking the program's all-time career wins record in the event. She is joined by the experienced juniors Betsy Brown and Blair McFarlin. A pair of freshmen in Terri-June Granger and Savannah Ostner will also compete for Auburn. Granger had a great start to her career as she has earned MOP honors in both meets competed. Green will go in exhibition vs. the Aggies.
AUBURN-TEXAS A&M SERIES HISTORY
Friday's meeting is the 21st between the two teams since they first faced off during the 2003-04 season. The Tigers are 15-5 overall vs. the Aggies, while TAMU holds a 5-2 record at home against Auburn.
UP NEXT
Auburn returns to the Auburn University Equestrian Center for a big SEC meet, hosting No. 1 Georgia Friday, Nov. 10. The 3 p.m. CT contest will be the team's All Auburn, All Orange meet and admission is free.