AUBURN, Ala. – Fifth-year senior Taylor Searles and junior Ava Stearns of the No. 2 Auburn equestrian team were named Southeastern Conference Riders of the Month for their performances in October. Searles was recognized for her rides in Horsemanship, while Stearns picked up the honor in Fences.
Searles, of Scottsdale, Arizona, put together a 5-0-0 record in October, earning one Most Outstanding Performer honor. With her performances, Searles moved into sole possession of Auburn's career wins record in Horsemanship with 47.
She started out with a big win against rival and then-No. 2 Georgia (Oct. 8), besting her opponent by 7.5 points with a 79. That tied a career high. Searles followed with back-to-back road wins at then-No. 4 Oklahoma State and then-No. 3 SMU. Highlighting the road trip was her 78.5 against the Mustangs.
Searles closed out the month with two big wins against Fresno State and South Carolina, putting together a winning margin of 12.5 points. She earned a 74-66 victory against the Bulldogs and closed out the month with a 76-59 win over the Gamecocks.
With her help, the Tigers went 4-1 over South Carolina in Horsemanship.
Stearns went 6-0-0 overall in October, securing three Most Outstanding Performer awards. She averaged 86.3 points over six meets, including a pair of scores in the 90s. In addition, Stearns was awarded the NCEA October Fences Rider of the Month for her efforts.
The Chilmark, Massachusetts product opened the season with a career-high 91 in her win over No. 2 Georgia. She followed with a 90 on the road at Oklahoma State (Oct. 15). With those two rides, she earned back-to-back MOP honors for the Tigers. Stearns closed out the team's first road trip with an 83-77 victory at SMU (Oct. 16).
Stearns and the Tigers returned to the Plains for a pair of meets, Oct. 22-23, where she helped the squad sweep both Lynchburg and nationally-ranked Fresno State in the event. After besting her Lynchburg opponent by 14 points (84-70), she scored 88 points in her win against the Bulldogs the following day.
Her final MOP of the month came against another SEC foe as Stearns edged her South Carolina opponent with 85 points (Oct. 29).
Searles, Stearns earn SEC Rider of the Month honors
