Auburn Equestrian Wallops Georgia 14-4 at Home

A Near-Perfect Second Half Propels the Tigers past the Bulldogs.

Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

Two weeks ago at Texas A&M, Auburn Equestrian underperformed in nearly every way. With rival Georgia coming to town Saturday, the Tigers were determined not to let that happen again.

How The Meet Went

The day started off with a tightly contested Equitation over Fences event. A host of Auburn riders outperformed their opponents, with Ellie Ferrigno, Ava Stearns, and Mary-Grace Segars each getting points. Stearns’ ride was also awarded Most Outstanding Performance in the event.

At the same time over in the Western ring, a similar script was being played out in the Reining event. Here again, a trio of Tigers bested their Bulldog rivals, with sisters Kate and Caroline Buchanan joining Alexia Tordoff in the winner’s circle. Tordoff took home the event MOP as well.

So at the half, Auburn enjoyed a slim, 6-4 lead, but was wary of a Georgia squad skilled enough to mount a rally.

Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, the second half would feature no such comeback.

The action got going again with Equitation over Fences, and here’s where Auburn put the meet away. Nearly every Tiger took her point in the event. Emma Kurtz, Sophee Steckbeck, along with Ferrigno, and Stearns, gave Auburn a 4-0 advantage in the event. Ferrigno also won the MOP here.

Those points, coupled with the no-point tie earned by Segars, meant Auburn’s current point total of 10 was enough to win the day. But they weren’t done yet.

Auburn’s Horsemanship riders would not be outdone by their teammates. Alexia Tordoff, Olivia Tordoff, Maddie Spak, and Caroline Fredenburg all won their points, with Madison Parduhn’s tie keeping the Bulldogs scoreless in the event. Alexia Tordoff’s event MOP gave the Tigers a sweep in the Most Outstanding honors for the day.

When the dust had settled, the final score was a dominant 14 - 4 Auburn win.

What the Win Means for Auburn

The Tigers will remain a half-meet lead over Texas A&M in the SEC standings. If the Tigers can defeat South Carolina (who visits Auburn in three weeks) then Auburn will be the top seed in the SEC Tournament.

The win should also give the Tigers even more confidence as they look forward to hosting their next opponent: undefeated and top-ranked SMU. The Tigers last faced the Mustangs in the national championship quarterfinals, falling 8 - 12 that day.

If Auburn can duplicate Saturday’s performance against SMU, then the national rankings voters may be on the lookout for a new #1 team.

Scoresheet: Georgia 4 - Auburn 14

FENCES:
Emma Kurtz (AU) def Rachel McMullen (GA): 87-83
Sophee Steckbeck (AU) def Catalina Peralta (GA): 86-70
Emma Reichow (GA) tied Mary-Grace Segars (AU): 83-83
*Ellie Ferrigno (AU) def Jordan Toering (GA): 87-77
Ava Stearns (AU) def Tessa Brown (GA): 86-80

FLAT:
Ellie Ferrigno (AU) def Jordan Toering (GA): 83-78
Sophia Pilla (GA) def Emma Kurtz (AU): 89-82
Catalina Peralta (GA) def Sophee Steckbeck (AU): 85-72
*Ava Stearns (AU) def Nora Andrews (GA): 89-76
Mary-Grace Segars (AU) def Ceci Bresch (GA): 79-73

HORSEMANSHIP:
Alexia Tordoff (AU) def Jillian Stopperich (GA): 75.5-74
Olivia Tordoff (AU) def Sara Lewis (GA): 73.5-72
Maddie Spak (AU) def Jordan Davis (GA): 75.5-74
*Caroline Fredenburg (AU) def Leah Anderson (GA): 75.5-74
Kendall Gill (GA) tied Madison Parduhn (AU): 73-73

REINING:
Kate Buchanan (AU) def Caitlin Lyons (GA): 69-67.5
Caroline Buchanan (AU) def Shelby Lynch (GA): 70.5-64
Courtney Blumer (GA) def Olivia Marino (AU): 71.5-69.5
Alexia Tordoff (AU) def Sophie Lucas (GA): 72.5-65.5
Jax Bound (GA) def Isabella Tesmer (AU): 67-62.5

*Event MOP"