AUBURN, Ala. – Jessica Braswell knew the promotion was coming but that did not diminish the impact when it did.
"We were really prepared for this move," Braswell said of becoming the second head coach in Auburn equestrian history. "I feel very ready for it. When it actually happened that was, 'Wow, it's time.'"
The time came April 28, two days after Greg Williams announced his transition to head coach emeritus. Throughout the season Williams deferred to Braswell and fellow assistant coach Taylor Searles for the in-arena coaching and lineup decisions, making for a smoother transition for his protégé.
"I do feel very prepared," Braswell said. "I've gotten to make a lot of decisions and I feel ready for this next step."
Auburn's associate head coach for the past nine years, Braswell rose through the ranks from student-athlete to graduate assistant to director of operations to assistant coach.
"I grew up in this program," said Braswell, a member of Auburn equestrian's first national championship team in 2006. "Getting to be the head coach is absolutely a dream come true. It's an honor and privilege and I'm looking forward to continuing all the work Coach (Williams) has done to build this program and continuing to work with him and our staff to win championships and be the best we can be."
The founder of Auburn's equestrian program and its coach for 28 seasons, Williams mentored Braswell for nearly two decades.
"Keep pushing forward," she said of lessons learned under Williams' tutelage. "What's so special about this place is the people and doing all we can to serve the community. If you keep those things in perspective and you're consistent in your culture, then the winning will come. We're going to continue to push Auburn forward and push the sport of equestrian forward.
"We have big dreams of what we want our home meet day environment to look like. We want it to be something that people want to come and be a part of. We want to bring the sport as much into the mainstream as we can. Auburn's always been the leader in that and will continue to be."
Similar to gymnastics, equestrian is an individual sport in nearly every setting except the collegiate level, an aspect that appeals to Braswell and the student-athletes she coaches.
"In college, you're on a team," she said. "That is a huge advantage for these young women, getting to put 39 other girls ahead of yourself and be a part of working toward something bigger than yourself.
"When you take ownership in that the success you have is even more exciting, it's greater because you've done it with others and it's not just about you."
With every early-morning workout, barn cleaning and marathon bus ride, Jessica Braswell paid her Auburn equestrian dues. Now it's her turn to take the reins.
"I'm very excited for the fall to get here and get competing with the group we have coming back and coming in," she said, "and seeing what we can do next season."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
