FRESNO, Calif. – The No. 1 Auburn equestrian team capped a busy weekend on the road with a 16-3 victory at No. 10 Fresno State at the Student Horse Center Saturday afternoon. The win moved the Tigers to 7-0 on the season.
"The conditions were really tough today in the wind and rain," head coach Greg Williams said. "I'm really pleased with the way the team is working together as one and how they overcame the conditions. I also want to send a special thanks to the Fresno State staff and team on hosting a great weekend despite the weather. We're excited to now come home and compete in front of our fans next week."
The Tigers once again swept the Most Outstanding Performer honors as three seniors and one sophomore took home an award. Seniors Betsy Brown (Reining) and Kelsey Jung (Horsemanship) captured MOP on the Western side of competition, while senior Caitlin Boyle (Fences) and sophomore Taylor St. Jacques (Flat) picked up honors for Hunt Seat.
Auburn opened competition vs. the Bulldogs Friday, competing in Equitation Over Fences because of rain forecasted for Saturday. The Tigers saw wins from a pair of seniors and a pair of freshmen to go 4-1 over Fresno in the event.
Boyle kicked things off with her MOP ride, taking an 86-74 victory and was followed by a 77-76 win from freshman Emma Kurtz. Freshman McKayla Langmeier held on to her undefeated record in the event with an 85-74 win over Hailey Livingston. Senior Hayley Iannotti capped Fences with a huge 83-55 victory.
The teams returned to action Saturday and the Tigers got things started with a 3-1 win in Reining. Sophomore Deanna Green and senior Ali Fratessa each had 71 points in their victories to open up the event. Brown followed with a one-point win over Paige Barton, 67.5-66.5, for MOP and classmate Blair McFarlin scored 71.5 points in her tie.
The Hunt Seat squad capped the meet with a sweep in Equitation On the Flat. Seniors Alexander, Boyle and Iannotti put together big wins for the Tigers to start things off before St. Jacques scored a big 88 in her MOP win over Cecily Hayes. Langmeier closed things out with 86 points to best Alivia Hart's 69.
Horsemanship closed out the day with a 4-1 win over the Bulldogs. Sophomore Taylor Searles finished the weekend undefeated with a 73.5-62.5 victory over her opponent, while classmate Green edged Alexis Steele, 70-69.5. Senior Kelsey Jung upped her win total on the year to five with another 74-point performance, earning her first MOP honor of the season. Junior Kara Kaufmann also earned 74 points in her fifth win for the year.
Auburn returns to the Auburn University Equestrian Center next weekend, hosting a pair of opponents in a tri-meet. The Tigers will welcome UT Martin and South Dakota State to the Plains, Feb. 8-9. UTM and SDSU will face off at 11 a.m. CT Friday before AU and the Skyhawks go head-to-head for the second time this season at 3 p.m. CT. Auburn and the Jackrabbits will cap the weekend with an 11 a.m. CT contest Saturday.
#1 AUBURN 15, #9 DELAWARE STATE 1
Equitation Over Fences
Caitlin Boyle (AU) def. Alivia Hart (FS), 86-74
Alex Dirickson (FS) def. Taylor St. Jacques (AU), 80-72
Emma Kurtz (AU) def. Cecily Hayes (FS), 77-76
McKayla Langmeier (AU) def. Hailey Livingston (FS), 85-74
Hayley Iannotti (AU) def. Hana Beiling (FS), 83-55
Equitation on the Flat
Ashton Alexander (AU) def. Brooke Nelson (FS), 76-66
Caitlin Boyle (AU) def. Alex Dirickson (FS), 77-76
Hayley Iannotti (AU) def. Hana Beiling (FS), 80-69
Taylor St. Jacques (AU) def. Cecily Hayes (FS), 88-67
McKayla Langmeier (AU) def. Alivia Hart (FS), 86-69
Horsemanship
Taylor Searles (AU) def. Lexi Miller (FS), 73.5-62.5
Nicole Campbell (FS) def. Lauren Diaz (AU), 74-73.5
Deanna Green (AU) def. Alexis Steele (FS), 70-69.5
Kelsey Jung (AU) def. Brooklyn Moch (FS), 74-72
Kara Kaufmann (AU) def. Hanna Bujis (FS), 74-73.5
Reining
Deanna Green (AU) def. Shea Gilson (FS), 71-0
Ali Fratessa (AU) def. Allison Nordvall (FS), 71-67.5
Betsy Brown (AU) def. Paige Barton (FS), 67.5-66.5
Blair McFarlin (AU) tied Kara Gustafson (FS), 71.5-71.5
Lexee Padrick (FS) def. Terri-June Granger (AU), 70.5-68.5