AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 1 Auburn equestrian team faces a challenging task this weekend, traveling to Texas for two big meets. The Tigers face off with SEC rival and No. 2 Texas A&M Friday, March 1, at 10 a.m. CT in College Station. The squad then travels to No. 3 SMU for an 11 a.m. CT contest in Dallas, March 2.
"This weekend will be a great challenge for our riders," head coach Greg Williams said. "I'm hoping that facing two highly ranked teams back-to-back on the road will bring out the best in our riders and that they will crank out big scores. Coaches Mary Meneely and Jessica Braswell continue to fine tune this squad and the drive to win is over the whole team."
AUBURN LINEUP
The Auburn (10-0) lineup boasts eight seniors, one junior, four sophomores and two freshmen.
In Equitation Over Fences, seniors Ashton Alexander and Caitlin Boyle along with sophomore Taylor St. Jacques and freshman Emma Kurtz will be mainstays in the lineup in both meets. Freshman McKayla Langmeier will ride against Texas A&M and senior Hayley Iannotti will go against SMU. Langmeier leads the squad with a 7-0 record this year, while Alexander stands at 8-1.
In Equitation on the Flat, Alexander, Boyle, Iannotti and Langmeier will ride in both meets. St. Jacques will go vs. TAMU and Kurtz is slated to compete at SMU. Langmeier and Kurtz are perfect in the event at 8-0 and 6-0, respectively.
The Horsemanship lineup will remain the same in both meets. Senior Lauren Diaz leads the charge, having nine wins this season and a team-best five MOPs on the year. Classmate Kelsey Jung and sophomore Taylor Searles each have eight wins and one MOP. Joining the trio will be junior Kara Kaufmann and sophomore Deanna Green.
The Auburn Reining corps will also be the same against TAMU and SMU. Senior Ali Fratessa guides the squad with eight wins and three MOPs so far. Classmates Betsy Brown and Blair McFarlin have six wins apiece, while Green will ride for the Tigers with a 7-2 mark on the year. Sophomore Terri-June Granger has five wins in the event and will also compete for AU.
UP NEXT
The Tigers cap the regular season at home, hosting rival and nationally-ranked Georgia at the Auburn University Equestrian Center. Auburn and the Bulldogs face off March 8 at 3 p.m. CT and the squad will honor 15 seniors during the meet.