The 2014-15 season of the Auburn Tigers equestrian team started Friday, Sept. 19, with a 13-7 victory at the University of Tennessee-Martin, capping an offseason dedicated to rebuilding the team after what many riders considered a down year in 2013-14.
"Last year wasn't bad, it's just we won it enough to where that's just our expectations," said equestrian head coach Gregg Williams. "We're in it for a title every year, but we're also in a rebuilding situation right now because we lost a pretty good amount of seniors, so we have to see who steps up and starts filling those shoes."
After a 12-3 record and winning a National College Equestrian Association (NCEA) championship in 2013, the Tigers stumbled to an 11-6 record last year, going 3-3 in SEC competition.
Senior rider Danielle Long said she believed everyone not being on the same page led to the drop off.
"It didn't go quite as smooth as it could have," Long said. "After the season ended our whole group got together and planned on what our goals were going to be during the summer in order to be on the same page before we got back to school."
With many freshmen and sophomores on the team heading into the new season, it's imperative for the upperclassmen to step up as leaders and guide them throughout the season, according to Williams.
Among these leaders are juniors Elizabeth Benson and Griffith Knight, while notable seniors include Lucy Igoe, Jennifer Delman, Demi Stiegler and Melena Smith.
A point of emphasis for this year's team, however, is for the leadership to be spread among the entire team, and that's something that has happened so far, according to equestrian head coach Greg Williams.
"Right now it's early, but the leadership is so spread out," Williams said. "They seem, as a whole, more together, and you just don't feel like there have been any issues so far. It feels good because they're all carrying the weight and our seniors are just way too ambitious to just let things slide."
One thing the freshmen riders have to get used to is the fact the horses ridden at events are based on a draw, meaning they don't know which horse they'll be riding until shortly before they perform.
This is why Williams preaches to his riders that "the unfamiliar has to become the norm."
"Before college riding everything is individually based, so you can build a relationship with your horse and have a continuity from competition to competition," said junior rider Elizabeth Benson. "But when you're competing in college, you only have four minutes to get to know the horses and put the course together better than the other school."
The NCEA ranks Auburn fourth in the national poll, with Oklahoma State and rivals Georgia and South Carolina above them.
All three defeated the Tigers last year, but the Tigers consider the ranking positive.
"I think coming in fourth is a good thing," Long said. "If we were ranked any higher we might get overconfident, so it gives us a goal to look forward to."
Williams agreed and said as long as they win at home and steal a few road SEC games, a No. 1 ranking is attainable.
"It's the same teams in the hunt every year," Williams said. "Georgia, South Carolina and Auburn. It usually comes down to the three of us."
The Tigers next match is their home opener against the top-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks on Oct. 10.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
