AUBURN, Ala. – Senior Kelsey Jung of the Auburn equestrian team put together a strong showing in the 2018 AQHA Collegiate Horsemanship Challenge, earning Reserve Champion in the final on Tuesday in Oklahoma City.
The preliminaries for the AQHA Collegiate Horsemanship Challenge took place Monday, Aug. 6, with the finals the following day
"Kelsey was amazing these last two days in a tough competition," assistant coach Mary Meneely said. "She was very poised, confident and a true joy to coach. Her feel of riding unknown horses and getting the best out of the horse is second to none. We're really proud of her!"
A total of 16 riders competed in the two-day competition with eight from the National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) and eight from the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association. All 16 riders competed on unfamiliar America Quarter Horses.
Sophomore Deanna Green also represented Auburn in the preliminaries of the event. The Pilot Point, Texas, native was a 2018 NCEA All-American and the SEC Horsemanship Freshman Co-Rider of the Year for the Tigers in 2017-18.
"We are really proud of the way the Auburn riders represented here at the AQHYA World Championship," head coach Greg Williams said. "The AQHA and the AQHYA did a great thing by moving this event to the youth meet and did a fantastic job in putting it on."
Jung advanced to the finals after earning a 146 on Monday, being one of four riders to move on with all coming from the Southeastern Conference.
The Farmington, Utah, product put together another solid ride Tuesday afternoon to secure Reserve Champion for the Auburn Tigers. With the finish, the 2018 NCEA All-American added to an already impressive list of accolades from the 2017-18 year.
The finish is the second-straight reserve title for a Tiger. Junior Kara Kaufmann rode for AU in 2017 and came away with Reserve Champion.