After a restful winter break, the No. 4 Auburn Tigers (5-3, 2-2 SEC) resumed its 2023-24 season on the road against the No. 5 South Carolina Gamecocks (5-3, 0-3) – for their second meeting this season. After suffering a 14-4 loss against Auburn, South Carolina was hungry for revenge, defeating the Tigers 11-9.
“Congrats to South Carolina on a solid meet,” said head coach Jessica Braswell. “They handled their horses better than we did today. There were some big rides we’ll continue to build on, but we’ve got to improve our overall consistency as we prepare to go to Georgia next weekend.”
The Gamecocks opened the meet by claiming flat 3-2, but the Tigers came back and stole horsemanship in a dominant 4-1 performance. By halftime, Auburn already established a two-point lead over South Carolina, leading 6-4.
Senior Ellie Ferrigno’s 76-75 win and graduate Ava Stearns’ 78-75 win prevented the Gamecocks from sweeping flat, so that senior Madison Parduhn (72.5-71.5), sophomore Caroline Fredenburg (71-68.5), sophomore Alexia Tordoff (75-70) and first-year Alexis Potts (69-65) could secure horsemanship.
However, South Carolina found its strength in the last stretch of the match, sweeping reining (5-0) and managing two points from fencing to come from behind and steal the win from Auburn.
After the half, the Tigers’ momentum carried through fences as the veterans secured a 3-2 win, but the Gamecocks’ veterans made an incredible effort in reining to snag the lead, sweeping the event.
Junior Sophee Steckbeck, Ferrigno and Stearns' individual success helped Auburn maintain its lead. Steckbeck’s performance earned Auburn’s seventh point with her 84-74 win in fences – as she remains undefeated.
But South Carolina’s collective effort from senior Emma Lane, sophomore Mattilyn McNeill, senior Emilia Reutimann, senior Chloe Stephenson and junior Chloe VanStone gave the Gamecocks the push they needed to upset the Tigers.
Ferrigno’s 88 in fences and Tordoff’s 75 in horsemanship earned them the Most Outstanding Performance (MOP) achievement.
The Tigers continue on the road to Bishop, Georgia, to take on the No. 6 Georgia Bulldogs (4-4, 1-2 SEC) on Saturday, Feb. 10. These rivals met earlier this season on the Plains, where Auburn claimed a 12-8 victory, so Georgia will be on the hunt for a win next weekend.
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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
