The No. 2 Auburn Tigers (5-2) continued their road trip to Dallas, Texas, to face the No. 3 SMU Mustangs, ultimately losing 12-8.
“I’m proud of their effort today,” head coach Jessica Braswell said. “They fought until the very end of a long day. We’ve got to improve on riding mistake-free on the road. SMU rode well today and didn’t make the mistakes we did. We’re looking forward to the break and working on the details before we start the spring.”
The Tigers started off strong, leading 6-4 after horsemanship and fences. However, the Mustangs were quick to respond, going 8-2 after flat and reining to steal the win.
In a close battle, Auburn took fences, 3-2, thanks to its veterans. Graduate Ava Stearns went first, securing the Tigers’ first point (82.5) as junior Sophee Steckbeck matched Stearns’ MOP performance. Holding the highest score, senior Ellie Ferrigno secured her point with 84.5 to wrap up the event.
The Mustangs dominated flat 4-1. Junior Elli Yeager (86.5) secured SMU’s first point as junior Emma Engel (79.5) and senior Katy Merchant (79) followed her lead. Senior Taylor Madden’s 88.5 performance earned her MOP. Stearns’ 83.5 earned Auburn its first and only point.
Next up was horsemanship, which the Tigers’ youngsters stole 3-2. Trailing SMU 2-0, freshman Brooke Jolstad earned the Tigers first point with a 74. Sophomore Alexia Tordoff and freshman Sydney Swallom finished off the Mustangs with 75 and 73.5, respectively.
SMU finished off Auburn with a dominant 4-1 performance in reining. Graduate Lily Anderson (69.75) and senior Shelby Clausen (71) gave the Mustangs a 2-0 lead, but senior Isabella Tesmer secured her point, hoping to narrow the score gap. However, SMU shattered that goal as junior Maria Richards (70.5) and graduate Taylor Zimmerman (72.75) finished off Auburn.
Continuing on the road, the Tigers will resume their season in the spring on Feb. 3, 2024, against South Carolina.
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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
