No. 1 Auburn returns to the Plains to host No. 4 SMU

AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 1 Auburn equestrian team returns to the Auburn University Equestrian Center for the first time in 2026, hosting No. 4 SMU on Saturday, February 21. The Tigers and the Mustangs will face off at 11 a.m. CT.

“They are a good team,” head coach Jessica Braswell said. “They had a tough start to their season in the fall, so I think they’re undervalued. They’ve come out with a good spring and we know it’s a really strong team and we’ll have to ride well to defend our home turf.”

The Tigers are looking forward to being home finally in front of the Auburn faithful.

“It’s big for us,” Braswell said about being at home. “We love being at home. The Auburn family really supports us and we can’t wait to be in front of our fans and feed of their energy.”

FAN INFORMATION
Saturday is a Pars and Ponies day at the Auburn University Equestrian Center. Fans in attendance can enter to win an Auburn golf bag and must be present to win.

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 features three seniors, four juniors, four sophomores and three freshmen against SMU.

The Jumping Seat side has four Tigers set to compete in both Fences and Flat. Leading the way is junior Avery Glynn, who has a 14-2-0 mark in Jumping Seat this season. She stands at 6-2-0 in Fences and 8-0-0 on the Flat.

Joining her in both events will be sophomores Kate Hagerty and Ariana Marnell as well as freshman Caroline Olsen. Olsen has had an outstanding season so far as the Sherborn, Mass., product is 7-1-0 in both Fences and Flat this year.

Competing in Fences with the team will be freshman Emily Jurnovoy, who has won back-to-back Fences match ups to start the spring. Sophomore Sadie Berkhout will go on the Flat and has wins in the event for the squad.

On the Western side, senior Alexia Tordoff and junior Callie Hogg will go in both Horsemanship and Reining on Saturday. Tordoff is 6-1-1 in Horsemanship and is 5-2-1 in Reining. Hogg has five wins in Horsemanship for the squad.

Riding Horsemanship with the pair will be senior Caroline Fredenburg and juniors Brooke Jolstad and Sydney Swallom. Swallom stands at 6-2-0 overall, while Fredenburg is 5-2-1. Jolstad has four wins in the event.

In addition to Tordoff and Hogg, Reining will feature senior Caroline Buchanan, sophomore Michelle Fumagalli and freshman Sofia Tieche. Buchanan has four wins this year and reached a career-high 75.25 in her MOP win on the road at South Carolina earlier this month.  

AUBURN-SMU SERIES
Auburn is 13-5-0 vs SMU in the all-time series history with a 5-1 record on the Plains.

The two teams met up in the fall in Dallas with the Tigers coming away with a 10-10 (1645.75-1645.38) tiebreak win over the Mustangs.

UP NEXT
Auburn travels to rival and No. 3 Georgia for a Saturday meet on the road. The Tigers and the Bulldogs will face off at 11 a.m. CT on February 28 in Bishop, Georgia at the UGA Equestrian Complex.