AUBURN, Ala.— It was an exciting day at the Auburn University Equestrian Center as it all came down to the final ride and the Auburn fanbase got to see the No. 1 Auburn equestrian team hold for the 11-9 victory over No. 4 Texas A&M afternoon.
“First of all, I’d love to thank the Auburn crowd that came out,” head coach Jessica Braswell said. “We had an awesome crowd today. The energy really helps us and it was huge for us and gave us a big advantage. We knew Texas A&M would compete hard, but I’m really proud of our team for sticking with it and finishing it off with a win.”
Holding a 10-9 lead with one ride to go, it all came down to junior Ariana Marnell in Fences. The Las Vegas product was facing a 78.5 from her Aggie opponent and the experienced rider delivered, sealing the Auburn win with an 84.5.
“Ariana is riding great right now,” Braswell said. “There’s probably no one else I would’ve liked in that position except for her today. She handled the pressure great and came through for her team.”
The Western corps had a big day against the Aggies, going 7-3 between Horsemanship and Reining.
“I thought Western performed outstanding today,” Braswell said. “The Reiners got us started on the right foot. Horsemanship came in with a chip on their shoulder and really dominated today. I’m very proud of them. I’m also proud of our freshmen for going in there and knocking it out of the park.”
The Tigers (3-0, 2-0 SEC) finished with three of four Most Outstanding Performer honors. The team swept MOPs in Western with senior Callie Hogg taking it in Horsemanship and sophomore Sofia Tieche winning in Reining. Freshman Taylor Cawley continued her dominate freshman campaign with another MOP, this time coming on the Flat.
The squad returns to the Auburn University Equestrian Center next week, hosting Fresno State on Saturday, Oct. 31. It will be Auburn’s Pony Patch/Kids Club Day meet with plenty of activities for kids to participate in to get ready for Halloween.
REINING
The Reining crew went 3-2 vs. Texas A&M and started things off with a 70.75-70.5 win from freshman Landri Lisac. Tieche followed with her MOP win, tying a career high with a 72.25 to beat Moriah McQueen’s 71.5. Junior Michelle Fumagalli improved to 3-0-0 on the year with a 69.5-62 win for the Tigers before the Aggies took the final two points.
FLAT
Auburn picked up two points on the Flat in a tightly contested event, seeing nine of 10 scores in the 90s. Cawley secured MOP with a career-high 95.5, winning by five points. Marnell opened her undefeated day with a 93-91 win.
HORSEMANSHIP
The Horsemanship corps dominated in the second half, going 4-1 vs. Texas A&M. Senior Sydney Swallom led off with a 76.75-73.75 win and was followed by a 75.25-73 victory from freshman Maddie Rippeon. The Aggies took the next point by just 1.5 points, but freshman Charlie Brooks responded with a 75.5-75 edge over Karly Humbert. Hogg capped the event with her MOP win, scoring a 76.75 to top her opponent’s 68.25.
FENCES
The Tigers took two points in Fences to seal the 11-9 win. Olsen bested Logan Thomas, 81.5-80.5, and Marnell closed things out with an 84.5-78.5 victory.
#1 AUBURN 11, #4 TEXAS A&M 9
FENCES
Kate Egan (TAMU)* def. Taylor Cawley (AU), 87.5-86.5
Caroline Olsen (AU) def. Logan Thomas (TAMU), 81.5-80.5
Grace DeFoe (TAMU) def. Kate Hagerty (AU), 81-69
Grace Shipman (TAMU) def. Avery Glynn (AU), 76.5-62.5
Ariana Marnell (AU) def. Alida Treuting (TAMU), 84.5-78.5
FLAT
Nicole McMillion (TAMU) def. Caroline Olsen (AU), 91.5-88
Taylor Cawley (AU)* def. Logan Thomas (TAMU), 95.5-90.5
Grace Shipman (TAMU) def. Kate Hagerty (AU), 94.5-92.5
Kate Egan (TAMU) def. Avery Glynn (AU), 94.5-91.5
Ariana Marnell (AU) def. Brooke Tegtmeyer (TAMU), 93-91
HORSEMANSHIP
Sydney Swallom (AU) def. Kendall Dirksen (TAMU), 76.75-73.75
Maddie Rippeon (AU) def. Ady Kallay (TAMU), 75.25-73
Kaylynn Heitman (TAMU) def. Brooke Jolstad (AU), 71.5-70
Charlie Brooks (AU) def. Karly Humbert (TAMU), 75.5-75
Callie Hogg (AU)* def. McKinney Atkinson (TAMU), 76.75-68.25
REINING
Landri Lisac (AU) def. Anna Harris (TAMU), 70.75-70.5
Sofia Tieche (AU)* def. Moriah McQueen (TAMU), 72.25-71.5
Michelle Fumagalli (AU) def. Dylanne Rodriguez (TAMU), 69.5-62
Isabella Gonzalez (TAMU) def. Callie Hogg (AU), 70.75-70
Kennedy Marshall (TAMU) def. Lindsey Lester (AU), 71.75-69.75
No. 1 Auburn edges No. 4 Texas A&M, 11-9, at home
It was an exciting day at the Auburn University Equestrian Center as it all came down to the final ride and the Auburn fanbase got to see the No. 1 Auburn equestrian team hold for the 11-9 victory over No. 4 Texas A&M afternoon.
