Texas A&M
Auburn
#6 Equestrian Finishes Regular Season with 12-7 Win over #4 Auburn
Mar 14, 2015 | Equestrian
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The No. 6 Texas A&M Equestrian team defeated the No. 4 Auburn Tigers 12-7 on Saturday, March 14th, at the Hildebrand Equine Complex. The Aggies improve their undefeated record at home to 7-0 and a 3-3 record in the SEC (7-5 overall), earning the three-seed at the SEC Championships.
Competition began in the hunter seat arena with Equitation over Fences. The Aggies took the event with a commanding 4-1 victory and no Aggie rider scored below 80 points. Sophomore Haley Webster and junior Hannah Williams won their points with an 86 and 84, respectively, and Webster's ride earned her the event's MOP honors. Senior Leah Chenelle edged her opponent, 85-74.5, while freshman Alex Desiderio notched a point for the Aggies with an 83.5. Junior Marlena Parker lost her point, but only after a solid ride scored as an 80.
In the Western Arena, the meet opened up with Horsemanship. Senior Molli Jacobs and sophomores Kaci Fisher and Rachel Lucht all scored a 75. Jacobs and Fisher each took a point for the Aggies while Lucht was narrowly defeated by half a point by Auburn's Griffin Knight, the event's MOP. Junior Logan Pluhar scored her point with a 73.5 performance. Freshman Avery Ellis originally won her point 74-72, but after a video review it was decided by the judge that her score be changed to zero, awarding the point to Auburn. Despite this, the Aggies still snagged the victory, 3-2.
Back in the Hunter seat arena, the Equitation on the Flat competition was underway. The Aggies first rider, sophomore Anna Rea, started things off with a crowd-pleasing 89. This score was to be matched by her competitor, however, and the point was cancelled. The first Aggie point came off of an 88 from Junior Audrey Gallagher for her second flat win in as many meets. Senior Haley Buchmiller won her point by a narrow 87-86 victory, and the Aggies led 2-1. Junior Marlena Parker scored an impressive 91, but Auburn's Demi Stiegler scored a 93 and stole the point, along with MOP honors. The event ended in a 2-2 tie.
The Aggies wrapped up the meet with the Reining competition. Senior Ashley Dotson started things off for the Aggies, scoring a point with a 69. Junior Logan Pluhar followed suit, scoring her point with a 70-68 victory. Junior Hannah Jechow scored the third Aggie point with a 72.5. Senior Laura Sumrall scored a 73, but it wasn't enough for MOP Katsy Leeman's 73.5. The Aggies took the event by a score of 3-2.
Coach McKay Post-Meet Sound:
"I am so proud of our entire team! What a great effort it took by all to be undefeated at home this year! We had some great rides today across the board. It was really nice to be able to send our seniors out with a big win like this"
Let's Hear a Hullabaloo…
…for home field advantage. The Aggies went undefeated at home this year, against both non-conference and SEC opponents. In the first year of competition at the Hildebrand Equine Complex, Texas A&M took down four top-ten programs in its new home and totaled seven victories, more than tripling last year's win total. Gig 'em, Aggies!
Up Next:
The Texas A&M Equestrian team will resume action on Friday, March 27th as they host the SEC Championship in College Station at the Hildebrand Equine Complex. To learn more about the Aggie Equestrian Team, log onto 12thMan.com or follow @AggieEquestrian on Twitter.
Players Mentioned
