AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 1 Auburn equestrian team will close out the home portion of the 2024-25 season this Saturday, hosting No. 7 Georgia at the Auburn University Equestrian Center. The Tigers and the Bulldogs will face off at 11 a.m. CT and admission is free.
“It’s our biggest rivalry,” head coach Jessica Braswell said. “It’s a huge one for us. These programs are historically two of the best in the sport and have won the most national championships and it is always good competition. This one means a lot to our staff, to our student-athletes and to our fans. It’s a big one for us this Saturday.”
The Tigers (9-1, 3-1 SEC) look to even the season series with the Bulldogs as the team took a close loss in the fall on the road to Georgia (6-4, 4-1 SEC).
“Georgia is really good at home, and it was a really good meet,” Braswell said. “We fought hard and stayed in it. But we owe them one now and want to defend our home turf. This is also a big one for the SEC Championships as far as seeding is concerned. We’ll be able to put ourselves into a good position as long as we’re able to come away with a big win.”
SPECTATOR INFORMATION
It’s All Auburn, All Orange Saturday at the Auburn University Equestrian Center. Fans are encouraged to wear orange in support of the Tigers. In addition, Auburn equestrian jerseys will be handed out to Auburn University students while supplies last!
The team will be honoring eight student-athletes at halftime as part of Senior Day! The Tigers being honored are Genevieve Ahlstedt, Kaitlyn Ferguson, Ellie Ferrigno, Mary-Grace Segars, Alexis Seiden, Sophee Steckbeck, Sarah Wren and Victoria Zember.
As always, the Kid’s Zone will be open featuring pony rides, a bounce house and more!
For more information on the Auburn University Equestrian Center, please visit HERE.
AUBURN LINEUP
The Auburn lineup continues to be a consistent group of upperclassmen and youthful riders.
The Jumping Seat squad will feature one fifth year, two seniors, one sophomore and two freshmen.
Fifth year All-American Ellie Ferrigno along with senior All-American Mary-Grace Segars, sophomore Avery Glynn and freshman Kate Hagerty are set to compete in both Fences and Flat for the Tigers. Segars leads the team with 16 wins between the two events, having eight in each. Ferrigno and Glynn both have eight victories in Fences, while Hagerty is 5-1-0 in the event.
Joining the four in Fences will be senior All-American Sophee Steckbeck. She stands at 8-2-0 in Fences this year. Freshman Ariana Marnell will ride on the Flat for the team, securing her fifth start in the event.
Western’s lineup will be similar to Jumping Seat with one fifth year, three juniors, three sophomores and one freshman.
Junior All-American Alexia Tordoff and sophomore Callie Hogg have each secured spots in both Horsemanship and Reining for the team. Tordoff has nine wins in Horsemanship with two MOPS and six victories and two MOPs in Reining.
Hogg helped the Tigers sweep the Gamecocks two weeks ago in Horsemanship, picking up the final point of the day and her third overall win in the event.
Fifth year Olivia Bradley along with junior Caroline Buchanan joins the pair in Reining with a wealth of experience. Freshman Michelle Fumagalli is also set to ride in the event for the Tigers. Buchanan and Fumagalli are tied with the most wins in the event at seven each.
Joining Tordoff and Hogg in Horsemanship will be junior All-American Caroline Fredenburg along with sophomores Brooke Jolstad and Sydney Swallom. Fredenburg is coming off a great showing in the first three meets of the spring, going undefeated with three MOPs.
Swallom has seven victories this year in Horsemanship, while Jolstad and Fredenburg each have six.
AUBURN – GEORGIA SERIES
Georgia leads the series 33-27. Auburn holds a 14-3 record in the last 17 meetings between the two schools, including victories over Georgia in the 2024 SEC Championships Semifinal, 2022 SEC Championship Semifinal and the 2021 SEC Championship title match.
The two teams last meet in the fall on November 22 in Bishop, Georgia. The Bulldogs came away with the edge in the fall finale, 11-9.
UP NEXT
Auburn closes out the regular season on the road, traveling to the state of Texas for a pair of big match ups. The team will first head to Dallas to face two-time defending national champion and No. 4 SMU on March 7 at 10 a.m. CT. The Tigers will close out the weekend at SEC rival and No. 5 Texas A&M. Auburn and the Aggies will go head-to-head at 12 p.m. CT on March 8 in Bryan-College Station, Texas.
No. 1 Tigers host No. 7 Georgia in final home meet of the season
The No. 1 Auburn equestrian team will close out the home portion of the 2024-25 season this Saturday, hosting No. 7 Georgia at the Auburn University Equestrian Center. The Tigers and the Bulldogs will face off at 11 a.m. CT and admission is free.
