The top-ranked Auburn Tigers used their most important meet of the season so far to not only stay alive in the NCEA Championship, but also make an emphatic statement. Auburn dominated the No. 8 Kansas State Wildcats, 15-1, in the NCEA quarterfinals in Waco, Texas, on Friday.
Awaiting Auburn in the semifinal on Saturday is fifth-ranked SEC foe Texas A&M, which beat No. 4 Oklahoma State 11-5 in its quarterfinal.
The meet opened with an Auburn sweep in Reining. Underclassmen got the event started for the Tigers, as sophomore Alexa Rivard and freshman Blair McFarlin earned wins. The seniors took over the event in the latter half, as Hailey Munger and Griffin Knight earned 136-134 and 141-140.5 victories, respectively.
Another successful sweep awaited the Tigers in Equitation on the Flat. Freshman Ashton Alexander opened the event with a 137-135 win. The rest of the event wasn't nearly as close, as junior Ashley Foster, senior Elizabeth Benson and SEC Freshman Flat Rider of the Year Caitlin Boyle combined to earn 62 more points than their opponents.
Horsemanship provided Kansas State its only point of the meet, but the Tigers still earned three victories in the event. SEC Freshman Rider of the Year Lauren Diaz earned a 152.5-144.5 victory. Senior Hannah Loseke nearly matched Diaz's performance, winning 151.5-144.5. Knight delivered Auburn its third win with her 13th win in the event, a 146.5-144 victory over Danielle Kemper.
Equitation Over Fences resulted in Auburn's third sweep of the meet. Alexander kicked things off with a 155-137 victory, which was followed by a 164-149 win for Benson. Six-point wins for freshmen Hayley Iannotti and Boyle finished the day for the Tigers.
Auburn is on a quest for its third national championship in five years and its fourth overall.
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