BISHOP, Ga. – On a snowy and chilly afternoon, the No. 1 Auburn equestrian team earned a hard-fought win on the road and bested No. 3 Georgia with a 12-8 victory Saturday at the UGA Equestrian Complex. The Tigers improved to 10-0 on the season and 4-0 in the Southeastern Conference.
"Today was a great SEC road win," head coach Greg Williams said. "Georgia capitalized on early mistakes and was riding really well today. We are thankful to come away with a tough win and will be hard at work this week to fix the mistakes made."
Tied 5-5 at intermission, the Tigers used strong performances in Flat and Reining to take the team win.
Flat kicked off the second half with a huge 4-1 victory, giving the visitors a 9-6 advantage heading into Reining. Junior Taylor St. Jacques picked up her fifth MOP of the season in the event, scoring a match-best 89 for the win. Freshmen Ava Stearns and Paige Matthies opened up Flat with a pair of victories and sophomore Emma Kurtz capped the event with a 75-73 win over Georgia's Maddy Darst.
Reining sealed the team win with a 3-2 finish as the Western squad went 6-4 overall on the day. Freshman Kayla Shelnutt shined in her home state, picking MOP honors for her 68-66.5 victory over Julia Spreng. Junior Terri-June Granger had a match-high 70 to take the point and freshman Jen Kasper closed out the day with a 69.5-69 edge over Courtney Blumer.
Highlighting the first half was Auburn's performance in Horsemanship as the squad went 3-2 over the Bulldogs. Juniors Deanna Green and Taylor Searles scored a 74 and a 75, respectively, to defeat their opponents. Freshman Olivia Tordoff was awarded her third MOP of the season as she outscored Lexie Lane, 75.5-71.5.
The Tigers picked up two points in Fences behind St. Jacques and sophomore McKayla Langmeier. St. Jacques scored an 83 in her victory, while Langmeier finished with an 86 to top Hayley Mairano's 82.
Auburn finally returns to the Plains next weekend for a contest vs. nationally-ranked Baylor. The Tigers and the Bears will face off Saturday, Feb. 15, at 10 a.m. CT at the Auburn University Equestrian Center.
#1 AUBURN 12, #3 GEORGIA 8
Fences
Taylor St. Jacques (AU) def. Kate Kramer (UGA), 83-77
McKayla Langmeier (AU) def. Hayley Mairano (UGA), 86-82
Maddy Darst (UGA)* def. Emma Kurtz (AU), 90-86
Rachel McMullen (UGA) def. Ava Stearns (AU), 80-79
Ali Tritschler (UGA) def. Meghan Knapic (AU), 89-87
Flat
Ava Stearns (AU) def. Grace Bridges (UGA), 88-83
Paige Matthies (AU) def. Hayley Mairano (UGA), 80-76
Taylor St. Jacques (AU)* def. Isabelle Heckler (UGA), 89-83
Ali Tritschler (UGA) def. McKayla Langmeier (AU), 86-79
Emma Kurtz (AU) def. Maddy Darst (UGA), 75-73
Horsemanship
Deanna Green (AU) def. Taylor Burgess (UGA), 74-72
Kaitlin Dierks (UGA) def. Kara Kaufmann (AU), 73-72
Taylor Searles (AU) def. Sara Lewis (UGA), 75-72
Maddie Fiorante (UGA) def. Maddie Spak (AU), 74-73.5
Olivia Tordoff (AU)* def. Lexie Lane (UGA), 75.5-71.5
Reining
Kayla Shelnutt (AU)* def. Julia Spreng (UGA), 68-66.5
Jordan Carpenter (UGA) def. Boo Kammerer (AU), 68-59
Terri-June Granger (AU) def. Lindsay Guynn (UGA), 70-69
Annabeth Payne (UGA) def. Deanna Green (AU), 67.5-67
Jen Kasper (AU) def. Courtney Blumer (UGA), 69.5-69