WACO, Texas – The No. 1 Auburn equestrian team moved on to the NCEA Championship match with an 11-5 semifinal victory over No. 4 Oklahoma State Thursday in the Extraco Events Center in Waco, Texas.
"It was long day, but we came prepared," head coach Greg Williams said. "I'm so proud of this team and how they just keep battling for points. We're heading to the national championship for the third time in four years and get to face off with another SEC school for the title. We're really excited for Saturday."
The Tigers (17-0) will face No. 6 Georgia in a rematch of the 2018 championship match as the Bulldogs edged No. 2 Texas A&M, 8-6. The two squads will go head-to-head Saturday morning.
The Equitation Over Fences corps picked up another sweep, topping the Cowgirls, 4-0, to start Hunter Seat action. Freshman McKayla Langmeier started things off with a 238-150 victory before sophomore Taylor St. Jacques scored a scorching 258 for her win. Freshman Emma Kurtz followed with a 245-189 W and senior Caitlin Boyle capped the event with another 258.
A pair of sophomores in Taylor Searles and Deanna Green gave Auburn two points in Horsemanship, pushing the squad to a 6-2 lead at the break. Searles continued her unbeaten streak with a 220-197.5 victory and Green closed out the event with 223 points in her win.
Auburn got big wins once again from Reining in the second half as the squad finished 3-1 vs. the Cowgirls. Sophomore Terri-June Granger picked up a win to start things off and senior Ali Fratessa remained perfect on the day with 202.5 points. Senior Blair McFarlin also earned her second victory with a 199-187.5 W over Hannah Lovrien.
The Equitation on the Flat corps finished in a 2-2 tie, getting wins from Boyle and St. Jacques. Boyle scored 241 points in her victory, while St. Jacques earned a 227-212 win over Katie Pelzel.
Friday's schedule consists of the event quarterfinals and semifinals. No. 1 Flat takes on No. 8 UT Martin, while No. 1 Fences takes on No. 8 Sweet Briar. No. 1 Horsemanship faces No. 8 Georgia, while the No. 6 Reining corps will also go head-to-head with the Bulldogs.
#1 AUBURN 11, #4 OKLAHOMA STATE 5
Equitation Over Fences
McKayla Langmeier (AU) def. Abigail Brayman (OSU), 238-150
Taylor St. Jacques (AU) def. Hannah Janson (OSU), 258-223
Emma Kurtz (AU) def. Sydnie Ziegler (OSU), 245-189
Caitlin Boyle (AU) def. Katie Schell (OSU), 258-249
Equitation on the Flat
Caitlin Boyle (AU) def. Hannah Jansen (OSU), 241-236
Abigail Brayman (OSU) def. McKayla Langmeier (AU), 223-200
Taylor St. Jacques (AU) def. Katie Pelzel (OSU), 227-212
Katie Schell (OSU) def. Hayley Iannotti (AU), 236-215
Horsemanship
Taylor Searles (AU) def. Sarah Miller (OSU), 220-197.5
Maddie Bender (OSU) def. Lauren Diaz (AU), 191-190
Emma Verplank (OSU) def. Kelsey Jung (AU), 207.5-198
Deanna Green (AU) def. Harley Huff (OSU), 223-219
Reining
Terri-June Granger (AU) def. Kristi Wiggins (OSU), 171-0
Ali Fratessa (AU) def. Stephanie Helsen (OSU), 202.5-0
Blair McFarlin (AU) def. Hannah Lovrien (OSU), 199-187.5
Hannah Mitchell (OSU) def. Deanna Green (AU), 205-194