AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 1 Auburn equestrian team (6-0, 2-0 SEC) caps the fall portion of the 2019-20 schedule Friday, hosting rival and No. 2 Georgia (4-1, 1-1 SEC) at the Auburn University Equestrian Center. The Tigers and the Bulldogs will go head-to-head at 3 p.m. CT and admission is free.
"There isn't much to say to hype up this meet except that it's No. 1 vs. No. 2 and a rematch of the national championship," head coach Greg Williams said. "We are riding well, but we also know that they will be bringing in a crew that is also competing well and has nothing to lose on our home turf. We are going to have to have some big time rides here on Friday."
PROMOTIONS
Highlighting Friday's activities for the fans is the Kia of Auburn Dirty Car promotion. The dirtiest car at every home meet will receive a coupon book from Kia of Auburn!
As always, the Kid's Zone will be set up with a bounce house, pony rides, a coloring station and yard games.
AUBURN LINEUP
Four Tigers will ride in both Fences and Flat for Auburn against Georgia. The Jumping Seat will be led by junior Taylor St. Jacques, sophomores Emma Kurtz and McKayla Langmeier and freshman Ava Stearns. Langmeier leads the squad with 13 wins on the year, holding a 7-1-0 mark in Flat and 6-1-0 record in Fences. Stearns is undefeated in Flat, while Kurtz stands at 7-1-0 in Fences.
Sophomore Meghan Knapic will ride in Fences for the Tigers, while freshman Paige Matthies is slated to go in Flat. Knapic is 5-1-0 in the event so far this year and Matthies is 1-0-0 in Flat.
Junior Deanna Green will continue competing in both Horsemanship and Reining for Auburn. The Ocala, Fla., product is 9-1-2 overall between the two events with a 5-0-1 mark in Horsemanship.
Green is joined by senior Kara Kaufmann, junior Taylor Searles and freshmen Olivia Tordoff and Maddie Spak in Horsemanship. Searles and Spak both went undefeated last weekend over two meets in Texas.
In Reining, junior Terri-June Granger joins Green in experience as the pair have been mainstays in the Auburn lineup since they arrived on campus. Granger leads the team with five wins in the event this year.
A trio of freshmen will represent the Tigers in Reining in Boo Kammerer, Jen Kasper and Kayla Shelnutt. Kasper got a big win at SMU last weekend, while Shelnutt scored a career-best 76 vs. the Mustangs.
SERIES HISTORY
Georgia leads the series, 30-16, with an 11-7 mark in Auburn.
Auburn is on a four-meet win streak that includes victories over Georgia in the 2018 and 2019 national championship matches. The Tigers and the Bulldogs last met in Auburn in the spring of 2019 with the Tigers taking a 17-3 victory.