Texas A&M
Auburn
A&M Equestrian Falls at Auburn, 10-8
Oct 16, 2009 | Equestrian
Oct. 16, 2009
AUBURN, Ala. - The fifth-ranked Texas A&M equestrian team suffered its first defeat of the season with a tough 10-8 loss to No. 3 Auburn Friday afternoon at the Auburn Equestrian Center.
The Aggies (1-1) swept MVP honors in the western disciplines, but the Tigers (4-1) rallied on the hunt seat side to claim their second straight victory.
"It was a tough afternoon overall for us, but we did see some good things," head coach Tana McKay said. "It was good to get on the road in a tough competition and ride some very different horses. This was a great experience to get under our belts this early in the season and figure out what adjustments we need to make heading into tomorrow against Georgia."
It was a solid showing for the defending national champion western team as they downed the host team, 6-2.
The reining squad blanked the Tigers, 3-0, and was paced by sophomore Abigail Grabein (Houston). Her eight-point victory over Tiger junior Jillian Fuller, 69-61, earned Grabein the first MVP honor of her young career.
"We really had our head in the game and rode exactly how we had planned today," McKay said. "We knew some of the horses would be challenging, and our girls made some really good adjustments and produced some very smart rides. Those rides pulled us through to victory against a very tough team."
Carey Nowacek (San Antonio) led the way to a 3-2 team victory in the horsemanship discipline. The true freshman scored a season-best 5.5-point win over Auburn's Bailey Dymond, 73-68, en route to her first career MVP honor.
"I was much more pleased with the girls' performances today," horsemanship coach Beth Bass said. "They showed some great improvement from last weekend. Carey shined once again for us, and for a freshman to pick up her second win in as many shows is huge."
Despite the loss on the hunter seat side, A&M picked up two strong wins in the equitation on the flat discipline. Sophomore Elizabeth Solch (Cincinnati, Ohio) notched the first victory of her career, 60-52 over Auburn junior Anna Schierholz, while sophomore Megan Webb (Burlington, W.Va.) defeated Tiger senior Chelsea Anheuser, 66-63.
"We rode well today, we just didn't ride well enough," hunter seat coach Linzy Woolf said. "We have to make some minor adjustments, and we know what those are going into a big show against Georgia. This was a great test for us today and great preparation for tomorrow. We're really looking forward to getting back out there."
A&M returns to action on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. against two-time defending national champion Georgia (2-1) at the UGA Equestrian Center in Bishop.
"This will be a great early-season test for us," McKay said. "These two schools have finished at the top in each of the last two national championships. Riding in a different place on different horses will be a great precursor for the rest of the season. We're looking forward to a really tough competition tomorrow."
Players Mentioned
