No. 1 Auburn opens SEC play at No. 7 South Carolina

No. 1 Auburn opens SEC play at No. 7 South CarolinaNo. 1 Auburn opens SEC play at No. 7 South Carolina

AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 1 Auburn equestrian team opens its Southeastern Conference slate on the road, traveling to No. 7 South Carolina this weekend. The Tigers and the Gamecocks will go head-to-head Friday, Oct. 25, at 1 p.m. CT at One Wood Farm in Blythewood, S.C.

"I feel really good about the way our team continues to compete," head coach Greg Williams said. "South Carolina is capable of beating anyone so we will have to go in strong on their home turf. We just need to compete the way we have been in our first few meets. I'm excited to get back on the road with the crew and see what we can do tomorrow."

AUBURN LINEUP
A trio of Tigers in Emma Kurtz, McKayla Langmeier and Taylor St. Jacques will compete in both Jumping Seat events for Auburn this weekend vs. the Gamecocks.

Kurtz, a sophomore from Hudson, Ohio, holds a 7-2-1 overall record between Fences and Flat, including a 5-0-0 mark in Fences. Classmate Langmeier has had a solid start to the year, standing a 9-0-0 over the two events with three MOP honors in Flat. St. Jacques is 2-1-0 in both Flat and Fences for a 4-2-0 overall record.

Joining the three in Fences will be junior Ericka Koscinski and sophomore Meghan Knapic. Both are 2-1-0 in the event this year. Seniors Becky Kozma and Anna Claire Smith will ride in Flat for the Tigers.

On the Western side, junior Deanna Green is set to represent Auburn in both Reining and Horsemanship. The Ocala, Fla., product is 3-0-0 in Reining with a 2-0-1 mark in Horsemanship. She is coming off a solid meet vs. nationally-ranked TCU, scoring career highs in both events with a 79.5 in Horsemanship and 76.5 in Reining.

Joining Green in Horsemanship are freshmen Olivia Tordoff and Maddie Spak with junior Taylor Searles and senior Kara Kaufmann. Tordoff and Spak also hold undefeated marks in the event for the Tigers.

Riding for Auburn in Reining with Green will be junior Terri-June Granger, sophomore Peyton Hall and freshmen Boo Kammerer and Jen Kasper. Granger and Kasper join Green with a 3-0-0 mark in the event, while Kammerer is 2-1-0 overall. Hall picked up the first win of her career vs. TCU last weekend, scoring a career-best 73.

AUBURN-SOUTH CAROLINA SERIES
Auburn stands at 25-19 in the series history with the Gamecocks, winning the last 12 meetings. The Tigers are also 9-7 on the road vs. SC.

The squads last met in the in the semifinal round of the 2019 SEC Championship where Auburn topped the Gamecocks, 13-7, in College Station, Texas.

UP NEXT
The Tigers return to the Auburn University Equestrian Center for a 3 p.m. CT contest with Ole Miss, Nov. 1. Auburn and the Rebels will compete in exhibition and admission is free.