AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 1 Auburn equestrian team and head coach Jessica Braswell announced the signing to 11 incoming student-athletes for the 2025-26 academic year.
Six Western riders will join the squad in Mara Clennon (New Richmond, Wis.), Kendra Dick (Avon, Ind.), Annelise Lance (Cleveland, Ga.), Kailee Rife (Raymond, Ohio), Sofia Tieche (Ocala, Fla.) and Libby Wilhem (Prosper, Texas).
Auburn will add five Jumping Seat riders next year in Emily Jurnovoy (Woodstock Valley, Conn.), Anngelina Morton (Farmington, Conn.), Caroline Olsen (Sherborn, Mass.), Emerson Ricketts (Chicago, Ill.) and Sandy Smith (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.).
MARA CLENNON
Hometown: New Richmond, Wisconsin
High School: New Richmond
Event: Western
HIGHLIGHTS: 2021 APHA Novice Youth 13 & U Horsemanship Reserve World Champion … 2021 APHA 13 & U Novice Youth Showmanship Reserve World Champion … 2021 APHA Youth 13 & U Showmanship Reserve World Champion … 2022 APHA Novice Youth 18 & U Trail World Champion … 2024 APHA Youth 18 & U Showmanship World Champion.
BRASWELL THOUGHTS: “We are excited to welcome Mara to the Plains. She has a lot of experience on the paint circuit and has recently started showing more in the AQHA as well. She is ready to work hard and will add depth to our horsemanship squad.”
KENDRA DICK
Hometown: Avon, Indiana
High School: Plainfield
Event: Western
HIGHLIGHTS: Top 5 NSBA World Show … Top 10 NSBA World Show … Three-time Top 10 NSBA Year End Highpoints … Top 15 AQHA Congress.
BRASWELL THOUGHTS: “We have known Kendra for a long time because she has attended our camps for years. It has been fun to watch her develop into an adaptable rider and that will serve her well in college. We are looking forward to the attitude and work ethic she will bring to the horsemanship squad.”
EMILY JURNOVOY
Hometown: Woodstock Valley, Connecticut
High School: Woodstock Academy
Event: Jumping Seat
HIGHLIGHTS: Seventh place at New England Equitation Finals … Third in USET at Devon … Reserve Champion Age Group Equitation at Capital Challenge.
BRASWELL THOUGHTS: “We are excited to welcome Emily to Auburn. She and her family fell in love with Auburn when they came to campus and we knew she would be a great fit for our program. Emily has extensive experience in the equitation and jumpers and brought a young horse along through equitation finals this season. She rides with the Langmeier’s and Kelianda Farm and we love the work ethic and talent they produce.”
ANNELISE LANCE
Hometown: Cleveland, Georgia
High School: White County
Event: Western
HIGHLIGHTS: 2017 GDTCA Combined Training Excellence Award … 2017 GDTCA Dressage Excellence Award … 2023 Georgia National Fair 11th Grade Champion Showman … 2023 Georgia National Fair Reserve Supreme Showman.
BRASWELL THOUGHTS: “We are looking forward to having Annelise in Auburn. She has an extensive agriculture background and her work ethic really shines through. Annelise will be an exceptional teammate with her team first attitude.”
ANNGELINA MORTON
Hometown: Farmington, Connecticut
High School: The Ethel Walker School
Event: Jumping Seat
HIGHLIGHTS: Ninth overall at Junior Hunter Finals Large 3’6” division … Eighth at Maclay Regionals … Finished 12th at New England Finals 2023 … Top 25 in the Gladstone Cup … Seventh in the 3* USET at Devon.
BRASWELL THOUGHTS: “We first got to know Anngelina through camp. She is the captain of her equestrian team at Ethel Walker School so she has experience in the team environment and on lots of different types of horses. She also has really excelled in the equitation over the last couple of years. She is another product of the Langmeier’s and Kelianda Farm and we expect she will be ready for the collegiate format!”
CAROLINE OLSEN
Hometown: Sherborn, Massachusetts
High School: Upper Echelon Academy
Event: Jumping Seat
HIGHLIGHTS: Grand Champion at 2025 Junior Hunter Finals … Ninth at 2024 USEF Talent Search Finals … Qualified for Junior Jumper National Championships … Top 3 in the Maclay, WIHS, and USET at Devon … Top 25 at USEF Medal Finals and ASPCA Maclay Finals.
BRASWELL THOUGHTS: “Caroline has had a very successful junior career, winning at the top levels of the equitation, hunters and jumpers. Her mom is a professional in the industry, so Caroline has grown up riding a lot of different horses. She brought her equitation horse along from a young horse to a seasoned equitation horse and we expect those skills will translate right into the collegiate format.”
EMERSON RICKETTS
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
High School: Jones College Prep
Event: Jumping Seat
HIGHLIGHTS: Sixth at Zone 5 Hamel Regionals … Qualified for USHJA Jumping Seat Finals and NHS Finals … Multiple top finishes at WEC Ocala.
BRASWELL THOUGHTS: “I think we first met Emerson when she was about 12 years old at one of our camps. She had a dream of competing at the college level and she set her goals to make it happen. She has worked tirelessly and turned herself into a great competitor. She’s an athlete that loves to be coached and I can’t wait to have her drive and determination on the Plains.”
KAILEE RIFE
Hometown: Raymond, Ohio
High School: North Union
Event: Western
HIGHLIGHTS: AQHYA World Reserve Champion … Congress Champion … Two-time Congress Reserve Champion … AQHA National Points Champion … Three-time AQHA Level 1 East Champion.
BRASWELL THOUGHTS: “Kailee is going to add great depth to our reining squad. She has extensive experience in the reining and ranch riding. We love what a great hand she is and the versatility in her riding. She is a very hard worker and has a great team first attitude. Kailee is going to be a great addition!”
SANDY SMITH
Hometown: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
High School: Indiana University High
Event: Jumping Seat
HIGHLIGHTS: WCHR 3'3" Junior Hunter Classic Winner … Large 16-17 3'3" Reserve Circuit Champion at WEF … Ninth Overall at Junior Hunter Finals in the Large 3'3" 16-17.
BRASWELL THOUGHTS: “Sandy has a decorated background in the junior hunters. We met her in camp and immediately were drawn to her willingness to help everyone around her. She did a good job on the college horses and also demonstrated excellent sportsmanship and work ethic. We are excited to have Sandy in the Auburn family!”
SOFIA TIECHE
Hometown: Ocala, Florida
High School: Trinity Catholic
Event: Western
HIGHLIGHTS: Top finishes at SFRHA, FRHA, TRHA, Congress and other futurities … Earned her private pilot’s license.
BRASWELL THOUGHTS: “Sofia has a contagious attitude that brings out the best in the people around her. She is a very hard worker, on her way to having her private pilot license before she finishes high school! She will add immediate depth to our reining squad and has experience riding different types of reining horses. We saw her adaptability firsthand during our camps.”
LIBBY WILHELM
Hometown: Prosper, Texas
High School: Laurel Springs Academy
Event: Western
HIGHLIGHTS: 2023 NYATT Horsemanship Champion at the AQHA Congress … 2024 World Champion in L2 Hunt Seat Equitation at the AQHYA Youth World Show … 2023 Reserve World Champion in L2 Hunt Seat Equitation at the AQHYA Youth World Show … 2024 Bronze World Champion in Western Pleasure at the NSBA World Show.
BRASWELL THOUGHTS: “Libby is another athlete we had an opportunity to get to know in one of our camps. She has grown tremendously as a rider and her results over the last couple of years speak to that. She has experience in the all-around, highlighted by a hugely successful fall in horsemanship this season. We are really excited about what she is going to bring to the horsemanship squad.”