AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 1 Auburn equestrian team is traveling away from the Plains for the first time this season and will face a pair of top 5 opponents in No. 4 Oklahoma State and No. 3 SMU over the weekend.
The Tigers and the defending Big 12 champion Cowgirls will go head-to-head Friday at 1 p.m. CT in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Auburn will then travel to Dallas for another big meet, going against the 2021 NCEA runner-up Mustangs at 10 a.m. CT Saturday.
"Oklahoma State and SMU are both really tough teams and this is going to be a big test for us," head Greg Williams said. "Both these teams are coming off huge road wins and are riding really well. It's going to take our best to come away with wins against these really great opponents.
"I love road trips and giving this team an opportunity to really come together away from Auburn," Williams added. "I'm really anxious to get on the road and battle it out together."
AUBURN LINEUP
The Auburn lineup will remain mostly consistent over the two meets this weekend.
Senior Emma Kurtz, junior Ava Stearns, sophomore Ellie Ferrigno and freshman Sophee Steckbeck will lead the Jumping Seat squad and compete in both Fences and Flat against both teams. All-Americans Kurtz and Stearns as well as Ferrigno all came away with a pair of wins in Auburn's season-opening victory vs. No. 2 Georgia last week. Stearns was awarded MOP in Fences with Ferrigno taking the honor in Flat.
Joining them in Fences will be senior All-American Meghan Knapic. She also started the season with a win in the event against the Bulldogs last week. Graduate Helen Ulrich is set to compete against Oklahoma State in Flat, while freshman Anna Marie Mayes is down to go against SMU in the event. Mayes, a Memphis native, picked up the first win of her career last weekend vs. Georgia.
The Western corps will be guided once again by graduates Taylor Searles and Terri-June Granger.
Searles is down for both Horsemanship and Reining after a great start to the season last week. The Scottsdale, Arizona product earned wins in both events against the Bulldogs, including MOP honors in Horsemanship. With her victory in the event, Searles moved into sole possession of the Auburn career wins list with 43 to her credit.
Auburn will compete the same lineup in Horsemanship over both meets. Joining Searles will be junior All-Americans Maddie Spak and Olivia Tordoff as well as sophomores Jacqueline Frimodt and Madison Parduhn. Parduhn, who hails from Edmond, Oklahoma, took a win in the event for the Tigers last week.
Granger, who is 1-0-0 on the year, and Searles will guide the youthful Auburn Reining squad this weekend. Junior All-American Boo Kammerer as well as sophomore Isabella Tesmer will join the pair on both days of competition. Tesmer is coming off a big ride against Georgia last week as she took the win and MOP honor.
Sophomore Olivia Marino is slated to compete at Oklahoma State Friday, while sophomore Kate Buchanan earned a spot in the lineup vs. SMU. This will be Buchanan's first meet with the Tigers.
AUBURN-OKLAHOMA STATE SERIES
Auburn leads the series vs. Oklahoma State, 13-3, and have won six-straight contests against the Cowgirls.
The two teams last met in September 2019 in a neutral site meet. The Tigers topped Oklahoma State, 12-8, in Martin, Tennessee.
Auburn last traveled to Stillwater in February 2018 where the squad came away with a 10-8 victory.
AUBURN-SMU SERIES
The Tigers hold a perfect 9-0 record against SMU in the all-time series history.
Auburn and the Mustangs last faced off in November 2019 with the Tigers besting SMU, 12-6, in Dallas.
UP NEXT
Auburn returns to the Plains next week for a pair of contests. The Tigers will host Lynchburg and No. 7 Fresno State at the Auburn University Equestrian Center, Oct. 22-23. Auburn and Lynchburg will face off in a Jumping Seat only contest at 3 p.m. CT Friday. The team will follow with a full meet against Fresno State Saturday at 11 a.m. CT.
