AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 1 Auburn equestrian team will take its second road trip of the season, heading to No. 10 UT Martin. The Tigers will face the Skyhawks Saturday, October 26 at 10 a.m. CT in Martin, Tennessee.
“It’s all about consistency and riding penalty free on the road and coaches Mary Meneely and Emma Kurt have the team ready to compete away from home,” head coach Jessica Braswell said. “Heading to Tennessee with those two things in mind will be key for us tomorrow.”
The Tigers (3-0) will be competing against their fourth straight top 10 opponent. The Skyhawks (2-2) took Auburn to the wire last time in Martin and Saturday looks to be another tough test for the Tigers.
“Continuously playing the best teams in the country gives us a good look at what we will face in the postseason,” Braswell said. “Top 10 road tests are great preparation for later in our season.”
AUBURN LINEUP
Headlining the Auburn lineup are two fifth years, two seniors, four juniors, three sophomores and four freshmen.
The Jumping Seat unit is composed of four riders that will compete in both Flat and Fences.
Leading the charge for the Tigers in Jumping Seat will be fifth year Ellie Ferrigno followed by the two seniors in Mary-Grace Segars and Sophee Steckbeck and sophomore Avery Glynn. All four will ride in both Fences and Flat.
Steckbeck and Glynn each lead the way with five wins apiece as Steckbeck is 3-0-0 in Flat and Glynn is 3-0-0 in Fences.
Freshman Sadie Berkhout will be riding in Flat and freshman Ariana Marnell will make the first start of her career in Fences for the Tigers.
Three juniors and two sophomores will comprise the Horsemanship roster. Junior Alexia Tordoff leads the way with a 3-0-0 mark in the event, while sophomore Sydney Swallom is coming off a big win vs. SMU last week to improve to 2-1-0. Classmate Brooke Jolstad is 2-0-1 for the squad and junior Caroline Fredenburg also has two wins.
Junior Lauren Hall is also set to compete in Horsemanship and is coming off a career-best 74 in her tie vs. SMU.
Reining will be led by a fifth year, two juniors and two freshmen. Fifth year Olivia Bradley and junior Caroline Buchanan look to continue their success as both hold 3-0-0 records. Freshman Michelle Fumagalli aims to keep her momentum going after her win against SMU.
Tordoff and freshman Catie Reachard are also slated to compete in Reining for the team.
AUBURN – UT MARTIN SERIES
Auburn holds the all-time series against UT Martin at 18-0. The Tigers are also 10-0 when competing in Martin, Tennessee.
The latest edition of the series took place on February 17, 2024, where Auburn took the 14-6 win over the Skyhawks, on the Plains.
UP NEXT
Auburn equestrian will head back on the road, traveling to Stillwater, Oklahoma for a showdown against nationally-ranked Oklahoma State. The Tigers and Cowgirls will go head-to-head on November 1 with competition kicking off at 12 p.m. CT.