April 10, 2018
AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Thirteen members of the No. 2 Auburn equestrian team were placed on the American Paint Horse Association NCEA Academic Honor Roll, the national organization announced Tuesday.
The APHA NCEA Academic Honor Roll recognizes the top academic student-athletes who have earned a cumulative GPA of 3.25 while maintaining full-time enrollment in the previous spring (2017) and fall (2017) semesters, respectively. There is no competition requirement on this award.
A pair of seniors in Caitlin Creel and Abby Wagner led the group. The award is the second for Creel, who was also named an NCEA All-Academic first team honoree. It marks the third-straight recognition for Wagner.
Seven juniors were placed on the honor roll in Caitlin Boyle, Lauren Diaz, Ali Fratessa, Hayley Iannotti, Mackenzie Michaels, Megan Rauh, and Casey Schmitz. The award is the second straight for six of the student-athletes. In addition, Diaz recently earned All-Academic first team honors, while Boyle and Iannotti secured second team recognition.
Four sophomores received the award for the first time in their careers ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Sydney Hoffa, Becky Kozma, Haley Pembroke, and Lillian Wagner.
The Tigers earned the No. 2 overall seed for the 2018 NCEA Championship. In addition, Horsemanship and Equitation on the Flat also earned No. 2 seeds, while Equitation Over Fences and Reining came in at No. 3. The national meet is slated for April 18-21 and will take place at the Extraco Events Center in Waco, Texas.
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