AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 1 Auburn equestrian team takes to the road this weekend, traveling to Texas to face a pair of Top 10 opponents. The Tigers open with a meet at No. 9 SMU in Dallas, Nov. 8, before heading to conference rival and No. 4 Texas A&M, Nov. 9.
"These road meets will be a major test," head coach Greg Williams said. "SMU has shown themselves to be extremely hard to beat at home so we start things off with a challenge. Texas A&M is one of the best teams in the country and will look to be tough at home as well. Most of our practices have been really strong and the freshmen continue to get better so I feel really good about this weekend."
AUBURN LINEUP
Junior Taylor St. Jacques, sophomores Emma Kurtz and McKayla Langmeier and freshman Ava Stearns will compete in both Fences and Flat in both meets for the Tigers. Langmeier holds an 11-0-0 mark on the year between the two Jumping Seat events, while Kurtz is 6-0-0 in Fences. Stearns also holds an unblemished record, having a 2-0-0 mark in Fences and a 1-0-0 record in Flat.
Sophomore Meghan Knapic is slated to ride in Fences vs. SMU, while senior Anna Claire Smith will compete in Flat against the Mustangs Friday. At Texas A&M Saturday, freshmen Alex Pielet and Paige Matthies will represent Auburn in Fences and Flat, respectively.
Junior Deanna Green will once again compete in both Horsemanship and Reining on the Western side, going against both SMU and TAMU in each event. The Tiger Horsemanship lineup will remain the same for both meets as senior Kara Kaufmann and junior Taylor Searles join Green with experience on the squad. Freshmen Olivia Tordoff and Maddie Spak are also set to ride for Auburn vs. both the Mustangs and Aggies.
In Reining, Green will be joined by junior Terri-June Granger and freshmen Boo Kammerer and Jen Kasper both days. Both Granger and Green are 4-0-0 in the event this year. Freshman Kayla Shelnutt will ride against SMU Friday, while sophomore Peyton Hall will compete against the Aggies Saturday.
UP NEXT
The No. 1 Tigers close out the fall slate with a showdown with No. 2 Georgia, Nov. 15, at the Auburn University Equestrian Center. The conference rivals will face off at 3 p.m. CT and admission is free.