AUBURN, Ala. – Taylor Searles and Ava Stearns of the Auburn equestrian team were honored by the National Collegiate Equestrian Association Monday as the pair earned Rider of the Year awards for their performances this season.
Searles, a fifth year, was named the national Horsemanship Rider of the Year for the second time in her career. The first team All-American and SEC Horsemanship Rider of the Year put together a 12-1-1 overall record in the event.
The Scottsdale, Arizona product finished 9-0-1 vs. ranked opponents in the regular season and had a 6-0-0 road record this year.
Stearns, a junior from Chilmark, Massachusetts, was awarded Co-Flat Rider of the Year after a solid season for the Tigers in the event. The first team All-American and All-SEC performer finished 14-3-0 overall in Flat with an 8-2-0 record against ranked opponents. She finished with a 5-1-0 mark on the road.
Stearns also went undefeated in the postseason, going 3-0-0 between the SEC and NCEA championships.
The honor for Searles is the program's third Horsemanship Rider of the Year award in the last four years, while the Flat Rider of the Year for Stearns is also the program's third in the last four seasons.