The No. 3 Auburn Tigers have improved to 2-1 on the season after a neck and neck affair against the No. 7 Southern Methodist University Mustangs on the road.
“I’m very proud of our performance today… It was a huge, bounce back win. SMU is a very good team that is extremely tough to play at home. We stayed in this meet from beginning to end and we can take a lot away from this weekend. We’re looking forward to getting back to work to get ready for the next one” explained Auburn head coach Jessica Braswell following the victory.
This win for the Tigers comes following a close defeat against the No. 4 Texas A&M Aggies, in which the Tigers matched the Aggies 10-10, but lost off of a tiebreaker at 1451.75-1439.50. The victory came in a contradictory fashion to this most recent matchup, in which the Tigers once again matched the Mustangs 10-10, but pulled off the tiebreaker 1645.75-1645.38.
Junior Avery Glynn and sophomore Ariana Marnell both earned Most Outstanding Performer awards in Jumping Seat, with Glynn being awarded for her performance in Fences, and Marnell’s in the Flat. Notably, Marnell’s performance not only earned the Tigers’ tenth point, but it also marked her first career Flat MOP.
In fencing, Sadie Berkhout, Avery Glynn, and Caroline Olsen all won their respective matches, with Kate Hagerty and Ariana Marnell both only being defeated by three points. As previously noted, Glynn and Marnell came away with victories in the Flat, with Olsen, Hagerty, and Sadie Berkhout being edged out by SMU’s Aedan Mooney, Caroline Signorino, and Genevieve Johns respectively.
Horsemanship was an extremely back and forth affair, with Sydney Swallom defeating Jayna Lagace by only a 1.75 point margin. Ava Blyth proceeded to defeat Callie Hogg by an even closer 0.75 point margin, followed by Auburn’s Caroline Fredenburg defeating SMU’s Shaelyn Boutelle by a 0.50 point margin. SMU once again took back the lead with Alexa Black defeating Auburn’s Brooke Jolstad 74.25-72.5. Auburn finished off the round with Alexia Tordoff defeating Violet Shetler 74-71.75, with their 2.25 being the largest differential in the Horsemanship round.
Auburn went 2-3 in the Reining round after starting strong with Buchanan defeating SMU’s Brooke Banks 70.25-66.75. SMU’s Sara Beth Filiatreau proceeded to defeat Auburn’s Sofia Tieche 70-67.75. Auburn got one more point in the match, with Michelle Fumagilli defeating Addi Schmersal 71.25-70.75. Afterwards, Makenna Bomke defeated Alexia Tordoff by only a 0.5 margin, and Madison Rafacz edged out Hogg by three points, resulting in a score of 73.75-70.75.
Auburn’s 2-1 start puts them in a good position ahead of the beginning of conference play. The Tigers’ upcoming matchup against the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs will mark the end of non-conference play, with their first matchup coming against the South Carolina Gamecocks, in which the Tigers will get to return home for the first time since their match against Berry.
The Auburn Tigers will return to Texas this coming Friday, October 31, for a matchup against the TCU Horned Frogs. This match will take place in Fort Worth at Bear Creek Farms at 10:00 AM CDT.
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.
Braden Hensley | Sports Writer
Braden is a freshman majoring in Aviation Management. He started with the Plainsman in fall 2025.
