AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 1 Auburn equestrian team closes out the 2020-21 regular season Saturday, March 13, hosting No. 8 South Carolina. The two teams will face off at 11 a.m. CT at the Auburn University Equestrian Center.
"South Carolina is going to come in here and really bring it," head coach Greg Williams. "It's going to be a beautiful day and we're excited to close out the regular season at home against a long-time rival."
SPECTATOR INFORMATION
Capacity at the Auburn University Equestrian Center will be reduced to an Auburn and visiting team pass list, a limited number of Auburn students and a limited number of general public seats. Admission is free.
Fans are asked to review the guidelines regarding gameday at the Auburn University Equestrian Center. Face coverings will be required for all spectators and gameday workers. Fans will be asked to stay in specifically marked locations and practice on-way traffic flow designated by signage. Fans are also asked to socially distance themselves from other members of the public in all locations.
Auburn Athletics remains focused on providing a healthy and safe environment for all patrons. Information related to attendance and health and safety protocols will be handled on a game-by-game basis and updates will be provided when available.
For more on meet day information, please click HERE.
AUBURN LINEUP
The Auburn (5-0, 5-0 SEC) lineup will once again be highlighted by a wealth of experience with a handful of youth.
The Western corps returns to competition this Saturday and will again be led by a trio of senior All-Americans in Deanna Green, Taylor Searles and Terri-June Granger with Green and Searles competing in both Horsemanship and Reining.
Green and Searles each have four wins on the year in Horsemanship and will be joined by a pair of experienced sophomores in Olivia Tordoff and Maddie Spak. Tordoff, an All-American in the event, has a team-best 5-0-0 mark on the year, while Spak has three wins overall.
Freshman Madison Parduhn earned a spot in the Horsemanship lineup following a big ride against Georgia two weeks ago. The Norman, Okla., product scored a career-best 78 vs. the Bulldogs for the first win of her career.
Granger, Green and Searles will compete in Reining for the squad in the second half of Western Saturday. Searles has three wins in the event, while Granger and Green each have two.
Sophomore Boo Kammerer leads the Reining corps with a 4-0-1 mark on the season and was named the SEC February Reining Rider of the Month. Freshman Isabella Tesmer rounds out the five Reining riders vs. South Carolina and is undefeated in the event at 3-0-0.
Auburn's Jumping Seat roster has four Tigers competing in both Fences and Flat. Senior All-American Taylor St. Jacques leads the charge, having a perfect 5-0-0 record in each event.
Juniors McKayla Langmeier and Emma Kurtz and sophomore Ava Stearns will also compete in both Fences and Flat for the squad. Langmeier is 7-2-1 overall between the two events, while Kurtz reached the 10-win mark and is 10-4-0 overall. Stearns is 7-3-1 with a 5-1-0 record in Fences.
Junior Meghan Knapic will compete in Fences for the Tigers, having a 6-1-0 record on the season. Freshman Ellie Ferrigno is coming off a big weekend, going undefeated in Jumping Seat for the squad vs. Lynchburg and Sweet Briar (March 6). She'll ride in Flat for Auburn against the Gamecocks.
AUBURN-SOUTH CAROLINA SERIES
Auburn stands at 28-19 in the series history with the Gamecocks, winning the last 15 meetings. The Tigers are 11-7 on the Plains vs. South Carolina.
The two teams opened the 2020-21 season last fall, Oct. 16, in Blythewood, S.C. Auburn came away with an impressive 14-5 road victory to start the year, sweeping all four MOP honors in the process.
UP NEXT
Postseason action begins with the 2021 SEC Equestrian Championships, March 26-27. Georgia is set to host the conference meet in Bishop, Ga., and Auburn will be the No. 1 seed and two-time defending SEC champion.