AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 1 Auburn equestrian team closes out the first half of the 2018-19 season on the road, traveling to rival and No. 7 Georgia Friday afternoon. The Tigers and the Bulldogs will face off at 12 p.m. CT in Bishop, Ga., at the UGA Equestrian Complex.
"We're really excited to end the fall season on a high note, but it's definitely going to be a challenge," head coach Greg Williams said. "Competing against one of our biggest rivals at their place is always tough, but I'm thrilled with the way this team is riding right now. I'm looking forward to seeing how we rise to the challenge on Friday."
AUBURN LINEUP
Highlighting the Auburn (4-0, 2-0) lineup vs. Georgia (1-2, 0-1) are the 17 of 20 spots held by upperclassmen.
Seniors Ashton Alexander and Caitlin Boyle along with sophomore Taylor St. Jacques will guide the Equitation Over Fences corps. Alexander stands at 4-0 in the event, while Boyle is 3-1. Joining the three will be two freshmen in Emma Kurtz and McKayla Langmeier. Senior Hayley Iannotti along with sophomore Ericka Koscinski will each ride in exhibition for the Tigers.
Competing for Auburn in Equitation on the Flat will be Alexander, Boyle, Iannotti, Langmeier and St. Jacques. Both Alexander and Iannotti have an unblemished record in the event at 4-0 each. St. Jacques is coming off an MOP performance vs. Texas A&M last week. Junior Becky Kozma and Kurtz will each go in exhibition.
For the Western corps, it will be another week of continuity and experience. Horsemanship will repeat the same lineup that faced then-No. 2 Texas A&M last time out. Seniors Lauren Diaz and Kelsey Jung continue to lead the squad as each are unbeaten on the year in the event. Diaz stands at 4-0 with two MOPs, while Jung is 3-0-1. Junior Kara Kaufmann and sophomores Deanna Green and Taylor Searles round out the five. Searles is coming off a season-high 75.5 in her win vs. the Aggies. Junior Haley Pembroke and freshman Emma Brown will compete in exhibition for the Tigers.
Seniors Betsy Brown, Ali Fratessa and Blair McFarlin are once again set to lead the Reining crew. McFarlin and Fratessa lead the corps with three wins each and both have picked up an MOP honor this season Sophomore Terri-June Granger and classmate Green are also slated to compete, while freshman Peyton Hall will ride in exhibition.
UP NEXT
The Tigers will continue with the second portion of the season when they travel to the West Coast, Feb. 1-2. The squad opens with an away meet at Fresno State before facing Delaware State in a neutral-site contest in Fresno.
