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A spirit that is not afraid

Equestrian rides into nationals

Junior Grace Socha clears a fence during the Tigers' SEC Championship win in South Carolina. (Contributed)
Junior Grace Socha clears a fence during the Tigers' SEC Championship win in South Carolina. (Contributed)

The equestrian team will travel to Waco, Texas, April 14-16 for a chance at the Equestrian National Championship title.

The event will be hosted by Baylor University at the Extraco Events Center in Waco.

The competition consists of 12 teams competing in the hunt seat and 12 competing in the western seat.

"We had to beat some very hard teams away and at home in order to come out on top," said Ali Loprete, senior MVP in fences on the team.

Auburn was selected as the No. 1 seed in the hunt seat bracket, followed by the University of Georgia as the No. 2 seed.

On the western side, Texas A&M University earned the No. 1 seed after an 11-1 season. Oklahoma State University will be seeded in the No. 2 spot, followed by Auburn seeded third.

Coming off a 11-7 loss on the road against Texas Christian University, Auburn is prepared to bring it all for the national championship.

"It'll be exciting to see who we play in the western division; it'd be nice to get revenge on TCU," said Greg Williams, head coach of the equestrian team.

Both the western and hunt seat squads have earned first round byes for the competition.

As the No. 1 seed, Auburn's hunt seat competitors will face the winner of No. 8 Kansas State and No. 9 TCU in the second round.

In the most recent collegiate coaches poll, the Tigers were ranked second, just seven votes behind No. 1 Texas A&M who have held the top ranking throughout the spring season.

"I believe for the western team Texas A&M will be the most challenging," said Jillian Fuller, reigning MVP for the Auburn equestrian team.

Texas A&M is 10-1 on the season, its only loss against Oklahoma State.

"Going into nationals everyone will be bringing their 'A' game, so no team is to be taken lightly," Fuller said.

The team has been preparing for the national championship on the 60 acres of the Auburn University Horse Center and is focusing on learning new routines.

"As a team we have been holding competitor practices and perfecting our patterns," Fuller said.

However, Williams said the most challenging part of preparation is not being able to practice as a team.

"I wish we competed together and didn't have to get split off, but each girl is working hard on their individual categories," Williams said.

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For the championship, Auburn will take 15 horses.

"We have had a very good mix of riding, mental preparation and team building," Fuller said. "We have also spent time getting our horses ready."

Auburn holds a 15-1 record heading into the championship.

"We have a very strong team this year," Fuller said. "Auburn always is competitive, but I have a very good feeling about this year on both the hunt seat and western sides."

Expectations are high for Auburn's outcome in the championship.

"I'm very proud of these girls, and I can't picture a better group to represent Auburn," Williams said.


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