On a day that celebrated the official opening of a new million dollar facility, the No. 4 Auburn Tigers equestrian team bounced back from a tough loss against South Carolina last month with an 11-9 victory over No. 9 Texas A&M Friday.
"We just came back to the drawing board," senior rider Katsy Leeman said. "We knew we had to come back stronger. Everybody rode a little bit harder because they had a chip on their shoulder from South Carolina."
Leeman earned MOP honors in the reining event, which was the only event that the Tigers lost 2-3. They went into halftime with a 6-4 lead after they defeated the Aggies in Horsemanship 3-2. The Tigers also earned a 3-2 victory in Equitation over Fences which was their first of the season. Strong showings from senior Demi Stiegler, junior Elizabeth Benson and sophomore Ashley Foster gave them the victory.
Benson said she was pleased how the girls responded in the Equitation events after a rough showing vs South Carolina.
"Being at home and being beat on your own turf is pretty tough," Benson said. "Especially on the equitation side, a lot of our girls weren't really ready for South Carolina but this time we were ready to go and a lot more points came our way."
Sophomore Hannah Stephens scored the Tigers' final point with a 70-69.5 victory over Rachel Lucht to secure the 11-9 win.
"The reiners made some mistakes and we messed up, but the Hunt Seat girls really held on and pulled it out for the Western girls," head coach Gregg Williams said. "A&M did not let up, so I am proud of the girls for holding on and getting the win."
The team returns to the field on November 14th when they travel to Athens to take on the University of Georgia. With the win, the Tigers move to 2-1 (1-1 SEC) on the season.
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