AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 1 Auburn equestrian team is back on the road this weekend as the Tigers take on No. 2 SMU and No. 4 Texas A&M to close out the 2024-25 regular season.
“This is going to be our toughest road test of the season,” head coach Jessica Braswell said. “I’m very excited about it because we’re ready to get on the road. We’ve been at home all spring and have loved it, but getting on the road is something new and different. It will be an outstanding measuring stick for us going into postseason.”
Auburn (10-1, 4-1 SEC) will open its Texas trip in Dallas, facing SMU on Friday, March 7 at 10 a.m. CT. The Tigers will then make their way down to Bryan-College Station and take on the Aggies in a final SEC regular season showdown on Saturday, March 8 at 12 p.m. CT.
“Both teams are excellent at home and don’t lose at home,” Braswell said. “It’s going to be a really big undertaking for us. I told the team that if there is anyone that can do it, it’s us. But we’re going to have to be the best we’ve been all year. We’re going to have to hit on all four events and limit the mistakes and errors. If we’re able to do that, I think we’ll be able to come away with some big wins.”
AUBURN LINEUP
Auburn will feature the same roster for both meets.
Jumping Seat will consist of four riders who will compete in both Flat and Fences.
Leading the charge for the Tigers on the Flat and in Fences will be fifth Ellie Ferrigno as well as two seniors in Mary-Grace Segars and Sophee Steckbeck. Segars has a team-best 17 wins in Jumping Seat action, having nine in Flat and eight in Fences. Both Steckbeck and Ferringo have eight wins this year in Fences.
Sophomore Avery Glynn will also ride on the Flat and in Fences for the squad. She leads the team with nine Fences wins.
Two freshmen will ride for the Tigers in Jumping Seat, starting with freshman Kate Hagerty in Fences. She has six wins so far this season. Freshman Ariana Marnell will go on the Flat for the team, making her sixth start.
Junior Alexia Tordoff and sophomore Callie Hogg are each set to ride in both Horsemanship and Reining for the Tigers in Western action.
Tordoff has had an outstanding season so far, having a team-high 11 wins in Horsemanship and eight victories in Reining. Hogg stands at 4-1-0 in Horsemanship and 2-1-0 in Reining.
Joining the pair in Horsemanship action will be junior Caroline Fredenburg and sophomores Brooke Jolstad and Sydney Swallom. Jolstad and Swallom each have seven wins this year with Jolstad coming off a career-high 77.5 in her MOP win vs. Georgia.
Fredenburg has six victories and a team-best four MOPs.
Fifth year Olivia Bradley and junior Caroline Buchanan along with freshman Michelle Fumagalli will join Tordoff and Hogg in Reining.
Fumagalli is tied with Tordoff for the most wins on the team in the event with eight. Buchanan and Bradley have seven apiece.
AUBURN – SMU SERIES
Auburn leads the series with SMU, 12-4.
The two teams last met in Auburn on October 19, 2024, with the Tigers besting the Mustangs, 11-6.
AUBURN – TEXAS A&M SERIES
Auburn leads the all-time series, 30-9, against the Aggies.
The Tigers and Texas A&M last met in the fall with Auburn coming away with a dominate 15-4 victory.
UP NEXT
The 2025 SEC Championship is next for the No. 1 Auburn equestrian team. The Tigers will be the No. 1 seed at the championship and will look to extend their streak to seven in a row.
The two-day meet will be held March 28-29 at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Springs, North Carolina. The University of Georgia will be the host.