AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 1 Auburn equestrian team kicks off the 2018-19 season on the road, traveling to No. 10 UT Martin for a Thursday contest. The Tigers and the Skyhawks will go head-to-head at 10 a.m. CT in the Ned McWherter Agricultural Center.
"I always like starting the season with a road trip," head coach Greg Williams said. "It is a great opportunity for the team to get together right away. We want to stick with the fundamentals this weekend and really focus on coming together as a team."
AUBURN LINEUP
Senior All-Americans Ashton Alexander, Caitlin Boyle and Hayley Iannotti highlight the Hunt Seat side of competition as all three will represent the Tigers in both Equitation Over Fences and Equitation on the Flat. Joining the trio will be sophomore All-American Taylor St. Jacques and freshman McKayla Langmeier.
Senior Alex Ladove will ride in exhibition for Auburn in Fences, while sophomore Ericka Koscinski is slated as the alternate in the event. Junior Becky Kozma will compete in exhibition on Flat with sophomore Carly Hoft listed as the alternate.
The Horsemanship lineup is filled with experience as seniors Lauren Diaz, Kelsey Jung and Megan Rauh highlight the group. Diaz has been a part of the Auburn lineup since her freshman campaign, while Jung and Rauh have earned All-America honors in the event.
Joining the three seniors will be juniors Kara Kaufmann and Haley Pembroke. Kaufmann also returns to the Plains as an All-American, while the starting nod is the first in Pembroke's career. Sophomore Anna Enos will ride in exhibition and freshman Ellie Becker is the alternate.
Continuing the theme of experience is the Reining lineup as seniors Betsy Brown, Blair McFarlin and Ali Fratessa are slated to compete. Brown returns as the 2018 SEC Reining Rider of the Year. Also competing will be sophomore All-American Terri-June Granger. Freshman Peyton Hall is set to ride in her first meet for Auburn.
Riding in exhibition is Kaufmann, while freshman Charlie Sue Pates is down as the team's alternate in the event.
AUBURN-UT MARTIN SERIES
The Tigers and the Skyhawks have met 11 times in the series history with Auburn holding a perfect 11-0 mark against UTM with an 8-0 record in Martin.
Thursday's contest will also mark the fourth-straight year the two squads have opened the regular season against each other in Martin.
UP NEXT
The Tigers return to the Auburn University Equestrian Center for a Southeastern Conference match up with No. 8 South Carolina, Sept. 28. The teams will go head-to-head at 3 p.m. CT and admission will be free.
