June 8, 2017
By: Margaret Hurt
For Stephanie Rucci, becoming an Auburn Tiger was a no-brainer. The 2014 graduate and alumna of the equestrian team became a consistent part of the starting line-up her freshman year, and by the end of her career had earned Second Team All-America Horsemanship honors and All-SEC Horsemanship honors. Rucci, originally recruited to compete in Horsemanship, became a Reiner while at Auburn and successfully rode double in both Western events, earning First Team All-America honors and All-SEC Reining honors, along with racking up 12 Most Outstanding Player awards by the end of her career. She currently holds eighth place in team history for career wins in Reining in with 21 wins, along with holding third place in Horsemanship with 31 career wins.
Rucci was equally successfully in the classroom, majoring in business administration and human resource management with a minor in psychology, maintaining a 4.0 grade-point average and being awarded the NCAA Post-graduate Scholarship. Currently living in Atlanta, Rucci works as a strategy specialist and is soon to be married to her fiancÃÆ'Æ'©, who is also an Auburn alumnus.
What made you want to come to Auburn?
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ªI knew I wanted to be a part of an equestrian team and stay in the south. Auburn was my first official visit and the campus sold it for me- I cancelled the rest of my visits. I loved how it was a big school yet a small, hometown feel. The people were wonderful and I really clicked with the girls on the team that I met.
What do you value most about the time you spent at Auburn?
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ªIt's hard to choose but I think it was the sum of all of my experiences at Auburn that really helped define me. It allowed me to grow with the confidence to move forward in the world.
For you, what was the best part about being a student-athlete?
Being a student-athlete is such a unique experience and such a cool way to spend four years. The best part had to be acting as a representative of your university to the best of your ability.
What did you normally do with any free time you had?
With the little free time I had, I took my dog to the park, had picnics on Samford and joined a few other student organizations that my fiancÃÆ'Æ'© was also involved in. I would also be lying if I didn't say napping.
What is your favorite Auburn tradition? Why?
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ªMy favorite Auburn tradition is rolling Toomers Corner. I got to experience it on my recruiting trip, the 2010 national championship, and the 2013 Iron Bowl. We also got to roll Toomers Corner before they cut down the original oaks when we won the equestrian national championship. Many think it's silly to throw toilet paper, but it's a great way to bring everyone together to celebrate a victory.
What is your favorite moment from competition?
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ªMy favorite moment was during the national championship of my sophomore year. It was a ride known as "the crazy yellow horse" where I drew this horse that bolted uncontrollably in my reining pattern throughout the entire arena. I somehow finished my pattern and got a standing ovation as I left the arena. I won the MVP that year in the reining.
Did you have any pre-meet rituals?
No rituals, but I did have lucky socks that I wore to every meet. For my junior and senior year, my fiancÃÆ'Æ'© made a Fathead of myself that he brought to every meet to cheer me on.
What was your favorite event to compete in? Why?
My favorite event to compete in was the reining. Coming into school, I had never done the reining before, so it was so much fun to try something new.
What do you think is the most important thing you learned while being on the team?
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ªI learned a new perspective on work ethic while I was on the team. It gave me a completely new meaning to never giving up and pushing myself beyond what I thought I was capable of.
What is the funniest memory you have from being on the team?
Oh gosh I don't even know where to start. The team kept me laughing for four years straight.
Can you describe a moment when you were really proud of yourself and/or your teammates?
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ªOne moment sticks out in mind - we were hosting a home competition, one of the girls on the opposing team was giving our reining warm-up rider some very harsh criticism on her warm up and riding ability. Our teammates had her back and defended our rider. At the end of the meet, I won the MVP in the reining and gave the award to the warm-up rider in front of the other team. I think this was a moment that speaks to how we always had each other's backs.
Was there anyone on the team you really looked up to?
Absolutely. I really looked up to Indy Roper. She was an incredible athlete, accomplished student and such a genuine person.
What do you consider to be your biggest athletic accomplishment?
The reining event overall was a big athletic accomplishment for me. It was an event I had never done before, but began competing in and ended up MVP at the national championship, multiple All-American honors and represented Auburn in the NRHA collegiate derby twice.
Your biggest academic accomplishment?
My biggest academic accomplishment was maintaining a 4.0 average in my major and winning the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.
Who impacted you the most during your time at Auburn?
There were a few girls on the team who acted as role models and my "go-to" support people. I also had one professor who was so fantastic and helped me become a business professional.
What is it like being an alumna of the team and the university?
ÃÆ'¢Ãƒ¢'¬ªIt has been great. It sets you up to have a great network. In Atlanta, so many Auburn alumni groups meet for happy hours, kickball games and more. My mentor at work is also an Auburn grad and we have gone back to football games together. For the team, I still keep up with the sport and many other team alumni. When I meet young riders, I talk about my experience on the team and encourage them to pursue it.