Auburn Equestrian Escapes with Narrow 11-9 Win at UT Martin

Under-performances in Horsemanship and the Flat negated an early Fences lead, but the Tigers’ Reining squad grabbed victory in the end.

Unlike last week’s road trip, the Tigers couldn’t build on their early lead, but Head Coach Jessica Brasswell’s squad showed they could perform under pressure, and avoid the embarrassing upset.

How the Meet Went

Equitation Over Fences and Horsemanship would open the meet, and with those typically being Auburn’s strongest events, the Tigers hoped to charge to an early lead on the road.

Auburn’s Fences team put the plan into action as senior Ellie Ferrigno, along with juniors Anna Marie Mayes, Sophee Steckbeck, and Mary-Grace Segars each bested their Skyhawk opponents. The 4-1 advantage in the event was just what the Tigers wanted to start the meet. Ferrigno ride was also judged the Most Outstanding Performance in the event.

However, Auburn success in Horsemanship would not be as prolific. As each of their upperclassmen teammates were edged out for points, it fell to freshmen Brooke Jolstad and Sydney Swallom to keep the Tigers’ momentum going in the event. But after Horsemanship had finished, UT Martin had won the event 3-2.

So with that under-performance, Auburn’s halftime lead stood just 6-4, but if the Tigers could ride as expected in the remaining events, the day would still be won by a comfortable margin.

SPOILER: The margin would not be comfortable.

In Equitation On the Flat, the Tiger’s more heralded squad were again upstaged by the Skyhawks. Graduate Ava Stearns and junior Mary-Grace Segars were the only Tigers to advance the scoreline as UT Martin won the event 3-2.

This setup a showdown in Reining with Auburn holding a 1-point overall lead.

Auburn sophomore Caroline Buchanan won the first point of the event, then saw the next two points go to UT Martin.

The meet was now tied at 9-9 with two rides remaining. (This is not how things were supposed to go for Auburn.)

The following point, won by Auburn senior Isabella Tesmer, guaranteed the meet would at least go to a tiebreaker decision (a combination of both teams’ rider’s raw judge’s scores) - in which Auburn held a slight advantage.

But Alexia Tordoff refused to allow the meet to be decided by something as commonplace as math. The Auburn sophomore bested her opponent, taking the final point, and making the event total 3-2 Auburn. Tesmer also receiving MOP honors for her ride.

And with all the rides complete, Auburn would escape a tenacious UT Martin squad with an 11-9 victory.

What this Means for Auburn

In last week’s meet, Auburn built on an early lead to end up throttling Baylor in Waco, Tx. But on Friday, the Tigers faced a tenacious UT Martin team that wasn’t stunned when falling behind, and never panicked. This close meet against a seemingly overmatched opponent provides many examples of areas needing improvement for Auburn.

And while Friday’s victory was closer than expected, the Tigers will almost certainly retain their #2 national ranking. This season has already seen most teams lose on the road, but Auburn proved they have enough firepower to get tough wins away from the Plains,

Up Next for Auburn

Auburn returns home to open conference play, hosting rival Georgia on Friday, October 20, at 3:00. The Bulldogs have already faced Texas A&M and South Carolina, going 1-1 in those meets. The Tigers will also attempt to extend their record home winning streak, which currently stands at 32-straight.

The Scoresheet

Auburn 11 - UT Martin 9

FENCES:
Sydney Hott (UTM) def Ava Stearns (AU): 88-86
Anna Marie Mayes (AU) def Elizabeth Becker (UTM): 85-78
Sophee Steckbeck (AU) def Kate Mills (UTM): 84-83
Mary-Grace Segars (AU) def Gabby Adams (UTM): 86-73
*Ellie Ferrigno (AU) def Haley Kane (UTM): 89-78

FLAT:
Ava Stearns (AU) def Bridget Vieau (UTM): 88-86
*Sophia Sundem (UTM) def Ellie Ferrigno (AU): 88-85
Haley Kane (UTM) def Anna Marie Mayes (AU): 79-72
Sydney Hott (UTM) def Sophee Steckbeck (AU): 86-83
Mary-Grace Segars (AU) def Elizabeth Becker (UTM): 86-82

HORSEMANSHIP:
*Sydney Swallom (AU) def Lexi Bailey (UTM): 75.5-72.5
Kate Davis (UTM) def Madison Parduhn (AU): 73-71.5
Emma Schaefer (UTM) def Alexia Tordoff (AU): 75.5-75
Brooke Jolstad (AU) def Ava Newsom (UTM): 74-69.5
Mia McAfoos (UTM) def Caroline Fredenburg (AU): 73.5-73

REINING:
Caroline Buchanan (AU) def Aubrey Malone (UTM): 70-69.5
Lexi Bailey (UTM) def Kate Buchanan (AU): 69.5-58.5
Emma Schaefer (UTM) def Olivia Marino (AU): 69-68
Isabella Tesmer (AU) def Kate Davis (UTM): 70-69
Alexia Tordoff (AU) def Logan Putvinski (UTM): 69-0

*Event MOP

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