No. 1 Tigers travel to No. 6 South Carolina for SEC road meet

AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 1 Auburn equestrian team continues its road swing to start the 2025-26 spring season, traveling to No. 6 South Carolina for a Southeastern Conference contest. The Tigers and the Gamecocks will face off at 10 a.m. CT on Saturday, February 7, at One Wood Farm in Blythewood, South Carolina.

“We’re excited to get on the road and compete in the conference,” head coach Jessica Braswell said. “South Carolina had a good fall and their coaches have done a good job building up that program really quickly. I expect a really tough competition on Saturday and I think it will be close. We have the talent and we can come out on top, but we’re going to have to put in solid rides and stay away from the penalties and mistakes.”

The Tigers (6-1) had a quick turnaround from their spring-opening win at UT Martin last week.

“We’ve continued on that consistency piece that I keep talking about,” Braswell said. “I think that’s key for us this spring, especially in our events that are not as strong.”

A win on Saturday will put the Tigers one step closer to the top seed at the 2026 SEC Championship, which the team hosts in March.

“We control our own destiny in this part of the season,” Braswell said. “We can have that No. 1 seed at the SEC Championship if we do our job this spring. Going on the road and coming home with a win Saturday would be big.”

AUBURN LINEUP
The Auburn lineup features three seniors, four juniors, four sophomores and three freshmen vs. UT Martin.

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 13-1-0 mark in Jumping Seat this season. She stands at 6-1-0 in Fences and 7-0-0 on the Flat.

Joining her in both events will be sophomores Kate Hagerty and Ariana Marnell as well as freshman Caroline Olsen. Marnell and Olsen are both 6-1-0 in Fences so far, while Olsen is also 6-1-0 on the Flat for the Tigers.

Competing in Fences with the team will be freshman Emily Jurnovoy, who picked up the first win of her career last week at UT Martin. Sophomore Sadie Berkhout will go on the Flat and has a 4-2-0 record 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 unbeaten in Horsemanship at 6-0-1 and is 4-2-1 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 6-1-0 overall, while Fredenburg is 5-1-1. Jolstad has four wins in the event and enters the meet as the SEC Horsemanship Rider of the Month for January.  

In addition to Tordoff and Hogg, Reining will feature senior Caroline Buchanan, sophomore Michelle Fumagalli and freshman Sofia Tieche. Fumagalli and Buchanan each have three wins so far this year.

AUBURN-SOUTH CAROLINA SERIES
Auburn is 38-20 vs. South Carolina in the series history, including a 13-8 mark on the road.

The two teams last met in the fall at the Auburn University Equestrian Center, November 8. The Tigers downed the Gamecocks, 12-8, and took three of the four MOP honors.

UP NEXT
Auburn returns to the Plains for a non-conference match up with No. 4 SMU. The Tigers and the Mustangs will face off on February 21 at 11 a.m. CT at the Auburn University Equestrian Center. Admission to all Auburn equestrian meets is free.