Extending their hot streak, the No. 2 Auburn Tigers defeated the No. 6 Georgia Bulldogs 12-8 on Friday.
"It was (a) great victory today," said head coach Jessica Braswell. "So happy to get that first SEC win and the Auburn-Georgia rivalry is a big one to get. I'm so proud of how the team pushed to the end for every point."
Auburn took an early lead and held it for the entire afternoon. The Tigers opened the tournament with a 3-2 win in reining.
Senior Olivia Marino (68), sophomore Caroline Buchanan (70) and senior Isabella Tesmer (71.5) defeated their opponents to secure Auburn’s lead. Buchanan received Most Outstanding Player (MOP) for her performance in reining.
The next event was flat, which Auburn dominated 4-1. Graduate Ava Stearns started the event with an 85, while junior Mary Grace Segars was two points shy of securing the Tigers a sweep.
Junior Anna Marie Mayes (86), senior Ellie Ferrigno (82) and first-year Avery Glynn (89) collected their points. Glynn’s performance earned her an MOP in flat.
Leading 7-3 at the half, the Tigers went to their next event: fences. Junior Sophee Steckbeck started the event off with an 86-85 win as Stearns followed with a dominant 88-55 victory. Although Segars and Glynn lost their points, Ferrigno solidified Auburn’s 3-2 win in the event with her 90-86 result, earning MOP.
Georgia took the horsemanship title from Auburn in a close battle, winning 3-2. First-year Brooke Jolstad pulled off a narrow 75-74.5 win that earned her MOP, while sophomore Alexia Tordoff collected her point (73). However, the Bulldogs’ junior Jullian Stopperich (74.5), graduate Grace Himes (74) and junior Jordan Davis (72) secured the event for the team.
“We had amazing fan support and I want to thank the Auburn Family for coming out and making this the best atmosphere," Braswell said.
Hoping to add to its undefeated record, Auburn will host the No. 7 South Carolina Gamecocks on Friday, Oct. 27, at 3 p.m. CST.
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Caitlyn Griffin is a sophomore from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in journalism. She started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
Twitter: @caitlyngrif99
