AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 1 Auburn equestrian team looks to claim its third-straight Southeastern Conference title this weekend as the Tigers head to the 2021 SEC Championship, March 26-27. The two-day meet is being held in Bishop, Ga., at the UGA Equestrian Complex.
"We're just so excited and thankful to be at this point in the season," head coach Greg Williams said. "We're looking forward to experiencing the postseason together as a team since half of this squad has no idea what that even looks like."
The top-seeded Tigers (6-0) will take on No. 4 seed South Carolina (1-5) Friday, March 26, at 1:30 p.m. CT. No. 2 seed and host Georgia (3-3) will face No. 3 seed Texas A&M (3-4) at 8 a.m. CT that day. The two losing teams from the first day will face off in the consolation match at 8 a.m. CT Saturday with the two winners facing off for the championship at 1:30 p.m. CT.
"We just faced off with South Carolina to end the regular season and we know they are going to keep us on our toes and will make us show up in every single match," Williams said. "The postseason is hard and unpredictable, but I think our attitude, our work ethic and how we practice are all solid. We just need to show up and go play."
AUBURN AT SECS
Auburn has three Southeastern Conference titles and claimed the last two SEC crowns, winning the championship meet in 2019 and being named the conference champion in 2020 after COVID-19 cut the postseason short.
Auburn's first SEC championship came in 2016 when the Tigers topped Georgia at the UGA Equestrian Complex. The league began sponsoring the sport in 2013.
Prior to the SEC, Auburn had won three Southern Equestrian Conference championships.
SPECTATOR INFORMATION
Due to COVID-19 protocols, no fans will be permitted at the SEC Equestrian Championship hosted by Georgia. Guests will be permitted through a "Player Pass List" only.
Fans wanting to follow along can access the Championship Central page HERE.
AUBURN LINEUP
The Auburn lineup will be led by four senior All-Americans in Terri-June Granger, Deanna Green, Taylor Searles and Taylor St. Jacques. The quartet is looking to capture their third SEC championship at the end of the weekend.
St. Jacques will pace the Jumping Seat corps, competing in both Fences and Flat for the squad. The Glen Allen, Va., product stands at 12-0-0 on the year, having a perfect 6-0-0 mark in both events.
She'll be joined in both Fences and Flat by All-Americans Emma Kurtz, McKayla Langmeier and Ava Stearns. Kurtz, a junior from Hudson, Ohio, is 11-5-0 overall on the year with a 6-2-0 mark in Fences. Classmate Langmeier is 8-3-1, having four wins in both events.
Stearns, a sophomore from Chilmark, Mass., has a 6-1-0 record in Fences and is coming off a 3-0-0 showing in March, earning NCEA and SEC Fences Rider of the Month recognition.
Joining the four in Fences will be junior Meghan Knapic. The Smithtown, N.Y., product holds a 7-1-0 record in the event this season. Freshman Ellie Ferrigno will go on Flat and has two wins on the year.
The Western crew is led by Green and Searles as both will compete in Horsemanship and Reining. The pair both have five wins in Horsemanship this season and are both currently tied for second in program history with 40 career wins apiece. The duo also has three wins each in Reining for the Tigers.
Sophomores Olivia Tordoff and Maddie Spak along with freshman Madison Parduhn will also represent Auburn in Horsemanship. Tordoff, an All-American from Powell, Ohio, has a perfect 6-0-0 record in the event this year.
Spak stands at 4-2-0 on the season in Horsemanship for the squad. Parduhn has two wins and one MOP in her first year on the Plains and was recently named the SEC Horsemanship Rider of the Month for March.
Granger will join her senior classmates in Reining, standing at 2-2-2 on the season. Sophomore Boo Kammerer highlights the Reining corps, having a 5-0-1 overall record with one MOP this season. The Mount Sterling, Ky., product is currently riding a five-meet winning streak.
Freshman Isabella Tesmer earned the final spot in Reining for Auburn. She is 3-1-0 on the season with one MOP in the event.
UP NEXT
Postseason continues with the 2021 NCEA Championship. Action is slated from April 15-17 and will be held at the Extraco Event Center in Waco, Texas.
No. 1 Auburn kicks off postseason at 2021 SEC Championship
