OCALA, Fla. – The No. 1 Auburn equestrian team used a big second half to earn a 14-4 win over No. 8 Fresno State in a quarterfinal match up at the 2026 NCEA Championships Thursday morning. The national meet is being held at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida.
“It was a little bit tight at the beginning and we had a few things in the first half that we had to bounce back from,” head coach Jessica Braswell said. “I think we just started a touch nervous , but we got through it to get to the second half and really performed well. That was the team I was expecting to see today and it’s great to get this first win under our belt.”
With the win, the Tigers advance to the NCEA Semifinal and will face SEC rival and No. 4 South Carolina. The two teams will go head-to-head at 8 a.m. CT Friday, April 17.
“We’re going to face a really talented South Carolina team that we’ve already seen a couple times this year,” Braswell said. “We know that they’re good and they’re going to come for a win and we’re going to have to have our best stuff. We’re going to have to start stronger than we did today and keep our foot on the gas. I’m thankful we earned another opportunity to compete tomorrow and we need to continue to earn it.”
Auburn (10-3) and the Bulldogs battled to a 4-4 tie after Fences and Reining before the top-ranked Tigers swept both Flat and Horsemanship to finish with the 10-point victory.
“I’m really proud of Flat and Horsemanship and how they came to play,” Braswell said. “They were strong and consistent and we had big scores in both arenas. I’m really proud of how we rode in the second half.”
“I think we rode well in Reining, but we know that there is definitely more that can be done,” senior Alexia Tordoff said. “Horsemanship went well, being consistent and penalty free. We were able to plus what we needed to plus and looked amazing. It was nice to go in and shake off some nerves and get that first win to get us going tomorrow.”
“I think we started a little bit cautious,” sophomore Ariana Marnell said. “But we came back fighting in the second half and everyone was doing their best. Flat is a really hard event and the team handled it so well. We’ve been working really hard and are feeling so prepared and today it showed.”
The Flat corps kicked off the second half with a sweep, starting with an 82-76.3 win from freshman Caroline Olsen. Marnell followed with a 90.7 to win by eight points, setting a career high. Junior Avery Glynn bested her opponent, 90.3-74.7, before sophomore Kate Hagerty set a career best with a 92 to win by 10. Sophomore Sadie Berkhout completed the sweep with an 83.3-76.3 win over Ryley Ferguson.
Horsemanship closed out the meet with another 5-0 sweep, starting with a huge score from Tordoff as she bested Abby Goddard, 76.8-74.2, to kick off the wins for the Tigers. Junior Sydney Swallom scored a 75.7 in her victory, while classmate Callie Hogg defeated her opponent, 73.2-66. Junior Brooke Jolstad followed with a 75-71 win and senior Caroline Fredenburg capped the meet with a 74.2-69.8 victory.
Auburn picked up two points in Fences and two points in Reining in the morning’s first half.
Marnell and freshman Emily Jurnovoy were winners in Fences as Marnell won 83.3-75.7 and Jurnovoy bested her opponent, 84.3-74.3. Hagerty and Olsen tied their opponents to open the event.
Tordoff and freshman Sofia Tieche had big scores in Reining to win their points. Tordoff led off with a 71.7-69.3 win and Tieche, an Ocala native, earned a 71.2 to defeat Adrianna Runzo’s 70.
#1 AUBURN 14, #8 FRESNO STATE 4
FENCES
Kate Hagerty (AU) tied Paris Mahoney (FSU), 83-83
Caroline Olsen (AU) tied Bridey Jones (FSU), 0-0
Ariana Marnell (AU) def. Molly Stewart (FSU), 83.3-75.7
Sage Lindvall (FSU) def. Avery Glynn (AU), 75-55
Emily Jurnovoy (AU) def. Paloma Primavera (FSU), 84.3-74.3
FLAT
Caroline Olsen (AU) def. Autumn Bradbury (FSU), 82-76.3
Ariana Marnell (AU) def. Molly Stewart (FSU), 90.7-82.7
Avery Glynn (AU) def. Sage Lindvall (FSU), 90.3-74.7
Kate Hagerty (AU) def. Paris Mahoney (FSU), 92-82
Sadie Berkhout (AU) def. Ryley Ferguson (FSU), 83.3-76.3
HORSEMANSHIP
Alexia Tordoff (AU) def. Abby Goddard (FSU), 76.8-74.2
Sydney Swallom (AU) def. Hailey Olson (FSU), 75.7-74.2
Callie Hogg (AU) def. Shelby Robinette (FSU), 73.2-66
Brooke Jolstad (AU) def. Aubrey Gerdes (FSU), 75-71
Caroline Fredenburg (AU) def. Maya Douglas (FSU), 74.2-69.8
REINING
Alexia Tordoff (AU) def. Shelby Robinette (FSU), 71.7-69.3
Sofia Tieche (AU) def. Adrianna Runzo (FSU), 71.2-70
Abby Goddard (FSU) def. Callie Hogg (AU), 66.5-0
Alana Becker (FSU) def. Michelle Fumagalli (AU), 70.3-70
Brogan Hill (FSU) def. Caroline Buchanan (AU), 69.7-69.5
No. 1 Auburn downs No. 8 Fresno State, 14-4, in NCEA Quarterfinal
The No. 1 Auburn equestrian team used a big second half to earn a 14-4 win over No. 8 Fresno State in a quarterfinal match up at the 2026 NCEA Championships Thursday morning. The national meet is being held at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida.
