AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 1 Auburn equestrian team travels to rival and No. 4 Georgia Friday, Oct. 23, for a Southeastern Conference showdown. The 1 p.m. CT meet will be Auburn's last road contest of the fall season.
"With all our meets being in the SEC this fall, each week is just as important as the previous," head coach Greg Williams said. "We have three-straight weeks of tough matches so we need to stay focused and be prepare. I feel really good about this team after the way we rode last week. Practices have been really good this week and our riding continues to get better. We love facing tough competition and are looking forward to go against one of our biggest rivals Friday. "
SPECTATOR INFORMATION
Due to COVID-19 and social distancing guidelines, no fans will be permitted at UGA equestrian meets this fall. Guests will be permitted through a "Player Pass List" only.
AUBURN LINEUP
The Auburn lineup looks similar to what the Tigers put together in their 14-5 win over South Carolina last week.
On the Jumping Seat side, the squad will feature the same five for both Fences and Flat vs. Georgia. Leading the way is senior All-American and back-to-back NCEA and SEC Flat Rider of the Year Taylor St. Jacques. The Glen Allen, Va., product earned big points against the Gamecocks last week, scoring an 84 on Flat and a 90 over Fences. The Fences score gave her MOP recognition.
Joining her are juniors Meghan Knapic, Emma Kurtz and McKayla Langmeier. Both Knapic and Langmeier went 2-0 vs. South Carolina, while Kurtz picked up a win in Fences. Knapic's 80 on Flat vs. SC marked her first start in the event. Langmeier was awarded MOP honors in Flat for the squad. Kurtz and Langmeier are returning All-Americans, while Langmeier is the back-to-back NCEA Fences Rider of the Year.
Returning to the lineup is sophomore All-American Ava Stearns. The Chilmark, Mass., product will also compete in both Fences & Flat after earning the SEC Freshman Rider of the Year honor in both events last season.
The Horsemanship lineup will remain the same this week and are led by senior All-Americans Taylor Searles and Deanna Green. Searles was the 2019 NCEA Horsemanship Rider of the Year, while Green earned the award in 2020.
Sophomores Rachel Hoopman, Maddie Spak and Olivia Tordoff join the pair in the lineup once again this week. Hoopman is coming off a solid first-career start at South Carolina where she won the MOP with a staggering 81. Tordoff earned a career-high 80 vs. the Gamecocks for the win and Spak bested her opponent to help the squad go 4-1 at SC.
Green and Searles will also ride in Reining and are joined by classmate and fellow All-American Terri-June Granger. The 2020 SEC Reining Rider of the Year hails from Dothan, Ala., and has 53 starts in the event under her belt. Searles is coming off an MOP performance last week, scoring a career-high 75.5.
Sophomore Boo Kammerer is again in the lineup for the squad and finished with 73 points in her tie against the Gamecocks. Freshman Isabella Tesmer is making the first start of her career this Friday vs. the Bulldogs.
AUBURN-GEORGIA SERIES
Georgia leads the series, 30-18, with an 11-5 record in Bishop.
Auburn is on a six-meet win streak that includes victories over Georgia in the 2018 and 2019 national championship matches. The Tigers have also won four straight on the road vs. the Bulldogs.
The two squads last met on a snowy day in Bishop, Feb. 8. The Tigers came away with a 12-8 victory and took home three of the four MOP honors.
MOVING UP THE RANKS
A handful of Tigers are making moves on the Auburn career lists this year. Senior Taylor St. Jacques is tied for fourth in career wins in Flat with 41 and is fifth in career wins in Fences with 37.
Seniors Taylor Searles and Deanna Green are in a race to reach the top of the Horsemanship career wins list. Searles holds the edge and is third with 36 wins, while Green has 35. Former Tiger Lauren Diaz (2015-19) stands on top of the record list with 41.
Senior Terri-June Granger has 36 wins in Reining in her career and is tied for second overall. She needs nine more to break Alexa Rivard's (2014-18) record of 44.
UP NEXT
The Tigers finally return to the Auburn University Equestrian Center next week for their final contest of the fall season.
Auburn and No. 7 Texas A&M will face off at 11 a.m. CT, Oct. 30. Information on fan attendance will be announced early next week.
