WACO, Texas – The No. 6 seed Auburn equestrian reining corps put together a solid performance to kick off the first day of competition at the 2019 NCEA Championships Wednesday, defeating No. 11 seed Fresno State, 3-0. The national meet is being held in the Extraco Events Center in Waco, Texas.
The Auburn reiners were the only Tiger squad to compete on the first day of the event championship. With the win, they advanced to the quarterfinals and will face off with rival and No. 3 seed Georgia Friday.
"All of our reiners rode great today," head coach Greg Williams said. "We are just anxious to get on with the team championship rounds tomorrow. This group is focused and ready to go."
Sophomore Deanna Green opened up the event for Auburn with a 209-207.5 win over Kara Gustafson. The victory gave Green her team-leading 11th on the year. Senior Betsy Brown followed with a 202-200 edge vs. Fresno's Paige Barton for win No. 9 this season.
Senior Ali Fratessa rode to a 208-208 tie with Shea Gilson before sophomore Terri-June Granger closed things out with a big score. The Dothan, Ala., product bested Lexee Padrick, 211-206.5, for her ninth win of the year.
The whole Tiger squad returns to action Thursday, April 18, opening up the team competition. The No. 1 seed Auburn will face off with No. 8 TCU starting at 8:30 a.m. CT. The winner will face the winner between No. 4 Oklahoma State and No. 5 SMU later in the day.
REINING
#6 AUBURN 3, #11 Fresno State 0
Deanna Green (AU) def. Kara Gustafson (FSU), 209-207.5
Betsy Brown (AU) def. Paige Barton (FSU), 202-200
Ali Fratessa (AU) tied Shea Gilson (FSU), 208-208
Terri-June Granger (AU) def. Lexee Padrick (FSU), 211-206.5