March 8, 2018
AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Junior Betsy Brown and freshman Taylor St. Jacques of the No. 2 Auburn equestrian team earned SEC Rider of the Month honors, the league office announced Thursday. Brown was recognized for her efforts in Reining, while St. Jacques picked up the honors in Equitation Over Fences.
Brown was awarded the first SEC monthly honor of her career after going 5-0-0 in Reining for the month of February.
At Baylor to kick off the busy schedule, Brown earned Most Outstanding Performer honors with a 71.5-67.5 victory. She followed with a 69.5-68.5 win on the road at then-No. 3 Oklahoma State, clinching the team's 10-8 victory vs. the Cowgirls. That win also kicked off a successful streak for the Tigers, seeing the team top three-straight Top 3 squads.
In the team's upset at No. 1 Georgia, the Waxhaw, N.C., native tied her season best with 72 points in the individual win to help the Tigers top the Bulldogs.
The final two meets of February saw Brown pick up wins against SEC opponents at home, starting with a 71-70 win vs. No. 3 Texas A&M. Brown scored 70.5 points in her victory vs. South Carolina to cap the month.
The honor is the first-career monthly award from the conference for St. Jacques. The Glen Allen, Va., product was also named the NCEA Rider of the Month in the even, riding to a 5-0-0 mark in the busy month for Auburn.
St. Jacques kicked off February with three-straight victories on the road that resulted in three-straight MOP honors. She opened with an 84-81 win at No. 8 Baylor (Feb. 2) before helping the Tigers upset then-No. 3 Oklahoma State in Stillwater with an 83-77 victory.
St. Jacques was a major contributor to the team's commanding 12-6 upset over No. 1 Georgia on the road, edging her opponent, 85-85, and taking home MOP.
Her final two wins of the month came on the Plains in SEC competition. St. Jacques first helped the team defeat its third-straight Top 3 opponent as she won her match, 82-79, vs. No. 3 Texas A&M. She capped February with an 87-84 win vs. South Carolina.
Auburn caps the regular season at home Saturday, March 10, hosting Fresno State at the Auburn University Equestrian Center. The Tigers and the Bulldogs will face off at 11 a.m. CT and the squad will honor its senior class at intermission.
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