AUBURN, Ala. – Sophomore Deanna Green and senior Kelsey Jung of the Auburn equestrian team will represent the Tigers at the 2018 AQHA Collegiate Horsemanship Challenge early next week as a part of the AQHYA World Championship in Oklahoma City.
The preliminaries for the AQHA Collegiate Horsemanship Challenge are set to take place Monday, Aug. 6, with the finals taking place Tuesday, Aug. 7.
"Kelsey and Deanna are both coming off a spectacular season and were two on the strong horsemanship team that really stood out all year," assistant coach Mary Meneely said. "I'm excited to see these two take the reins and not only go for it next week, but also all season. We're so proud of them and excited to have them represent Auburn next week."
A total of 16 riders will compete in the two-day competition. Eight riders were selected to represent the National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) based on their All-America status from the 2017-18 season. The final eight riders are from the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association.
All 16 riders will compete on unfamiliar America Quarter Horses.
Jung, a Farmington, Utah, product, came out on fire in 2017-18 and finished with a 15-3-2 record in the event. The 15 wins set an Auburn single-season wins record. In addition, she picked up NCEA Second Team All-America honors and All-SEC accolades.
Green, from Pilot Point, Texas, had an outstanding first year on the Plains and came away with a 14-4-2 overall mark in the event. She took home NCEA Second Team All-America honors and was named the SEC Horsemanship Freshman Co-Rider of the Year. Green was also placed on the All-SEC and SEC All-Freshman teams.
The 2017 edition of the national competition in Oklahoma City saw now-junior Kara Kaufmann take reserve champion honors back to Auburn.