AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 1 Auburn equestrian team opened its Southeastern Conference slate at home, downing No. 9 South Carolina, 18-2, at the Auburn University Equestrian Center Friday afternoon.
"We're still doing the basics right and that's all we want to do right now," head coach Greg Williams said. "We're a very talented group, but I want us to stay focused on competing as one team. We need to keep our sights on getting better every week and staying unified and I think this team is doing a great job at that."
The Tigers (2-0, 1-0) opened up the meet with a dominating performance in both Horsemanship and Equitation on the Flat, sweeping the Gamecocks in both events.
The Horsemanship corps saw big scores throughout the day, starting with a Most Outstanding Performer ride from sophomore Deanna Green. She topped Alexa Thorpe, 75.5-72. Junior Kara Kaufmann followed with 70 points in her win, while senior Lauren Diaz bested Caroline Gute, 75-72.5.
Sophomore Taylor Searles totaled 75.5 points in her win over Quinn Brandt. Senior Kelsey Jung remained undefeated in the event, finishing with a 75-71 victory vs. Taylor Kellam.
Senior Hayley Iannotti kicked off Equitation on the Flat with 80 points to best her opponent. Classmate Caitlin Boyle followed with an MOP ride, finishing with a dominating 93-74 win. Fellow senior Ashton Alexander edged Madison Sellman, 76-73, for the Tigers.
A pair of freshmen in McKayla Langmeier and Emma Kurtz picked up big wins in the event for Auburn. Langmeier topped her opponent with an 84-70 win, while Kurtz earned her first career win with 78 points.
Following intermission, the Equitation Over Fences crew went 4-1 in the event. Boyle kept up her high scoring on the day with 90 points in her victory. Langmeier followed with the first MOP of her career, topping Louisa Brackett with an 88. Iannotti and Alexander capped the scoring with 88 and 89 points, respectively, in their victories.
The final event on the day was Reining and the Tigers topped the Gamecocks, 4-1. Senior Blair McFarlin earned her second-straight win with 70+ points, topping Addie Cromer, 70.5-69.5. Classmate Betsy Brown followed with a 68.5-67 win and Green concluded her day undefeated with 70 points in her victory. Senior Ali Fratessa earned MOP honors after scoring 71.5 points in her win.
After a week off, the No. 1 Tigers will host Ole Miss in an exhibition meet at the Auburn University Equestrian Center. Auburn and Ole Miss will go head-to-head at 3 p.m. CT on Oct. 12.
#1 AUBURN , #9 SOUTH CAROLINA
Equitation Over Fences
Caitlin Boyle (AU) def. Trinity Hammerschmidt (SC), 90-85
Tyler Petri (SC) def. Emma Kurtz (AU), 86-82
McKayla Langmeier (AU)* def. Louisa Brackett (SC), 88-55
Hayley Iannotti (AU) def. Madison Brayman (SC), 88-87
Ashton Alexander (AU) def. Madison Sellman (SC), 89-79
Equitation on the Flat
Hayley Iannotti (AU) def. Lizzie Van Der Walde (SC), 80-74
Caitlin Boyle (AU)* def. Louisa Brackett (SC), 93-74
Ashton Alexander (AU) def. Madison Sellman (SC), 76-73
McKayla Langmeier (AU) def. Trinity Hammerschmidt (SC), 84-70
Emma Kurtz (AU) def. Madison Brayman (SC), 78-54
Horsemanship
Deanna Green (AU)* def. Alexa Thorpe (SC), 75.5-72
Kara Kaufmann (AU) def. Madison Thiel (SC), 70-67
Lauren Diaz (AU) def. Caroline Gute (SC), 75-72.5
Taylor Searles (AU) def. Quinn Brandt (SC), 75.5-73.5
Kelsey Jung (AU) def. Taylor Kellam (SC), 75-71
Reining
Blair McFarlin (AU) def. Addie Cromer (SC), 70.5-69.5
Betsy Brown (AU) def. Madison Thiel (SC), 68.5-67
Bridgett White (SC) def. Terri-June Granger (AU), 69-68.5
Deanna Green (AU) def. Caroline Gute (SC), 70-68.5
Ali Fratessa (AU) def. Jordan Scott (SC), 71.5-71
No. 1 Auburn Downs No. 9 South Carolina, 18-2
