AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 2 Auburn equestrian team is set to host the 2022 SEC Championship as the Tigers welcome Texas A&M, Georgia and South Carolina to the Auburn University Equestrian Center, March 25-26. Admission to the two-day event is free.
"We're really set for a great championship this weekend," head coach Greg Williams said. "There are no clear-cut favorites and we're really excited for some tough competition. We ride better when we know we have to go out there and win it."
The Tigers are the No. 2 seed and will take on No. 3 seed Georgia Friday at 3 p.m. CT. The Aggies (No. 1 seed) and the Gamecocks (No. 4 seed) kick off the day at 10 a.m. CT. The winners from the first day will advance to the championship match that is slated for 2 p.m. CT on Saturday, while the other two teams will ride for third prior to the title match at 9 a.m. CT.
"We traded wins this year with Georgia so Friday is going to be a tough meet," Williams said. "This team is really coming together and riding well. We need to do our part and come out of the gate to win."
AUBURN AT SECS
Auburn has four Southeastern Conference titles and claimed the last three SEC crowns.
Auburn's first SEC championship came in 2016 when the Tigers topped Georgia at the UGA Equestrian Complex. The league began sponsoring the sport in 2013.
Prior to the SEC, Auburn had won three Southern Conference championships.
AUBURN LINEUP
Auburn will have a wealth of experience in the lineup this weekend on the road highlighted by four fifth years, two seniors and four juniors.
Western will be led by a trio of fifth years in Taylor Searles, Deanna Green and Terri-June Granger. Searles and Green will ride in both Horsemanship and Reining, while Granger is set to compete in Reining.
Searles leads the team with a 10-0-1 mark in Horsemanship with a 7-4-0 record in Reining. Green is 3-0-0 in Horsemanship for the squad.
Joining the pair in Horsemanship will be juniors Olivia Tordoff and Maddie Spak. Tordoff is currently riding a nine-match winning streak with eight MOPs. Sophomore Madison Parduhn, who is 8-3-0 in the event, will also ride.
Also competing in Reining will be junior Boo Kammerer and sophomore Isabella Tesmer. Tesmer is second on the team with five wins this season, while Kammerer has four for the squad.
The Jumping Seat side will be led by senior Emma Kurtz as she is set to compete in Fences and Flat. Kurtz is second on the team with 20 total wins this season, having 11 in Fences and nine in Flat.
Joining her in both events will be junior Ava Stearns, sophomore Ellie Ferrigno and freshman Sophee Steckbeck. Stearns has a team-best 11-3-0 mark in Fences and leads the squad with 11wins in Flat.
Senior Meghan Knapic will ride Fences for the Tigers, having nine wins in the event. Fifth year Helen Ulrich is down for Flat and heads into the weekend with a 7-3-0 mark.
UP NEXT
The postseason continues at the 2022 NCEA Championships, April 14-16. The three-day tournament will be held at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida and Auburn will be the host institution.
