Feb. 8, 2018
No. 4 Auburn at No. 1 Georgia
(4-3 / 1-2) vs. (7-0 / 3-0)
MEET
| Friday, Feb. 9 | 10 a.m. CT | |
| #4 Auburn at #1 Georgia | ||
AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" The No. 4 Auburn equestrian team kicks off its Southeastern Conference portion of the spring schedule on the road, traveling to No. 1 Georgia. The Tigers and the Bulldogs will face off at 10 a.m. CT Friday, Feb. 9, at the UGA Equestrian Complex.
"Georgia will be tough because they always are very good at home," head coach Greg Williams said. "We're going to have our hands full, but I'm looking forward to it because I feel this will be a good meet for us. This rivalry we have with Georgia is one of the top in this sport and its going to be a battle."
AUBURN LINEUP
The Auburn competition lineup continues to be junior and freshman heavy, featuring eight juniors and four freshmen. Joining the group will be two seniors and one sophomore.
Junior All-Americans Ashton Alexander, Caitlin Boyle, and Hayley Iannotti are set to compete in both Equitation Over Fences and Equitation on the Flat for the Tigers. Boyle leads the team with a 14-1-1 overall record on the year, including an 8-0-0 mark in Flat. Iannotti has six wins in Flat with 10 overall, while Alexander has exceled in Fences this year, having five victories so far.
Joining the trio in both events is freshman Taylor St. Jacques. The Glen Allen, Va., product went undefeated last weekend on the road with a 3-0-1 mark and picked up back-to-back MOP honors in Fences for the Tigers at Baylor and Oklahoma State. Junior All-American Alex Ladove is slated to compete in Fences for Auburn, while senior Caitlin Creel will ride in Flat.
On the Western side of competition, freshman Deanna Green earned the starting nod in both Horsemanship and Reining vs. the Bulldogs. Green is tied for first on the team with six victories in Horsemanship. Redshirt junior Kelsey Jung also has six victories in Horsemanship, going undefeated the past weekend with a win and a tie on the road.
Junior Lauren Diaz, sophomore Kara Kaufmann, and freshman Taylor Searles are set to joing Green and Jung in Horsemanship. Both Diaz and Searles set career bests vs. Oklahoma State Saturday, securing individual wins with a 76.5 and a 75.5, respectively.
Senior Alexa Rivard highlights the Reining corps as she recently tied Auburn's career-wins record, having 34 to her name. The Suwanee, Ga., product has earned three wins this year so far in the event. Junior Betsy Brown is coming off a solid weekend for the squad, going 2-0 with one MOP last weekend.
Freshman Terri-June Granger and junior Blair McFarlin are tied with Brown for the most wins in the event so far this season, having four a piece.
AUBURN-GEORGIA SERIES HISTORY
Georgia holds a 26-11 overall mark over the Tigers in dual competition. The Bulldogs also hold a commanding 12-2 mark in meets held at the UGA Equestrian Complex.
UP NEXT
Auburn returns to the Plains for a big SEC meet with No. 2 Texas A&M. The Tigers and the Aggies are slated to face off Saturday, Feb. 17, at 11 a.m. CT. The meet will be held at the Auburn University Equestrian Center.