AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 5 Auburn equestrian team kicks off the postseason this weekend, competing at the 2024 Southeastern Conference Championship held at Hildebrand Equine Complex in College Station, Texas, March 29-30.
"We've had a great couple of weeks of practice and the team is prepared for this opportunity," head coach Jessica Braswell said. "We've been gearing up for this championship and we've been riding really well. There is nothing like winning a championship and this team has put in the work to do that."
The Tigers are the No. 3 seed in the tournament and will face No. 2 seed Georgia on Friday, March 29 at 10 a.m. CT. The next semifinal match will feature No. 1 seed and host Texas A&M vs. No. 4 seed South Carolina. The winner of the two semifinal matches will go head-to-head at 2 p.m. CT Saturday, March 30.
"If we ride to our potential, we can definitely win this thing," Braswell said. "Friday is going to be a good match up between us and Georgia. There is no better way to compete in this sport than at championships and we just have to show up and ride well and be consistent."
AUBURN AT SECS
Auburn has six Southeastern Conference titles and has claimed the last five SEC crowns.
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 titles.
AUBURN LINEUP
The Auburn (7-5) lineup will feature many of the same faces from the regular season this weekend.
Auburn's Jumping Seat crew will be the same for both Fences and Flat in Texas.
Fifth year and All-American Ava Stearns along with senior and All-American Ellie Ferrigno lead the way. Stearns is 15-4-1 overall between Fences and Flat, having eight wins in Flat and seven in Fences. Ferrigno has nine wins in Fences for the Tigers.
Junior All-Americans Mary-Grace Segars and Sophee Steckbeck will also ride for the squad in Fences and Flat. Steckbeck has a team-best 11-1-0 record in Fences, while Segars has seven wins in Fences and is coming off an MOP performance in Flat vs. Texas A&M (3/9).
Freshman Avery Glynn will get the starting nod in both Fences and Flat in her first SEC Championship. She is 12-9-0 overall in Jumping Seat with eight wins in Fences.
On the Western side, Reining will go first and will be highlighted by a wealth of experience.
Seniors Kate Buchanan, Olivia Marino and Isabella Tesmer are set to lead the group with sophomores Caroline Buchanan and Alexia Tordoff joining. Tesmer, a 2023 All-American in the event, has a 11-1-0 record with three MOPs.
All-American Kate Buchanan is enjoying a three-match winning streak, earning MOP in the regular season finale. Marino and the younger Buchanan each have five wins for Auburn.
In Horsemanship, the Tigers are led by Tordoff and classmate Caroline Fredenburg. Tordoff, an All-American from Powell, Ohio, has a team-best nine wins with four MOPs, while Fredenburg has eight victories and two MOPs.
Joining the duo will be senior All-American Madison Parduhn and freshmen Alexis Potts and Sydney Swallom. Potts has seven wins in her first season on the Plains.
UP NEXT
The postseason continues at the 2024 NCEA Championships, April 18-20. The three-day tournament will be held at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida and Auburn will be the host institution once again.