No. 1 Auburn Welcomes No. 3 Texas A&M Saturday
AUBURN, Ala. (auburntigers.com) – The No. 1 Auburn equestrian team caps its home slate Saturday, March 5, hosting No. 3 Texas A&M in an SEC meet. Competition is set for 1 p.m. at the Auburn University Horse Center.
Auburn Lineup
Scheduled to compete for the Tigers in Equitation over Fences will be freshman Ashton Alexander, senior Elizabeth Benson, freshman Caitlin Boyle, junior Ashley Foster and freshman Hayley Iannotti.
In Horsemanship, the lineup will feature freshman Lauren Diaz, senior Griffin Knight, senior Hannah Loseke, freshman Sarah Miller and junior Hannah Stephens.
Alexander, Benson, Boyle, Foster and junior Tory Hoft will compete in Equitation on the Flat.
Senior Allie Dusha, Knight, freshman Blair McFarlin, senior Hailey Munger and sophomore Alexa Rivard will represent Auburn in Reining.
Celebrating the Seniors
The Tigers will honor their 11 seniors immediately following horsemanship under covered arena. The group consists of – Elizabeth Benson, Megan Bifano, Claire Connaghan, Allie Dusha, Landrie Folsom, Griffin Knight, Hannah Loseke, Hannah Marco, Morgan McQuay, Hailey Munger and Peyton Smith.
In the Record Books
Four members of this year’s senior class have placed themselves among Auburn’s best in their careers. Elizabeth Benson, Griffin Knight, Hannah Loseke and Hailey Munger have all found themselves on some of the program’s top career lists.
Benson is the winningest Hunt Seat rider in Auburn history, holding the team’s career wins records in both Flat (39) and Fences (47). In addition to her record number of victories, she has also competed in the most meets (including Saturday) in both events – Fences (58) and Flat (57).
The Western trio of Knight, Loseke and Munger have put their names with some of Auburn’s top riders in the discipline. After Saturday’s meet, Munger will have competed in 50 Reining competitions for the Tigers, setting a new program record. Saturday also marks the 58th time Knight has been in the Horsemanship lineup, tying a program high. In addition, Knight needs four more Horsemanship wins to break the Auburn career record.
Loseke is also among the top Horsemanship riders in program history, finding herself in the top 10 in meets competed (34) and wins (18).
Scouting the Aggies
The No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies come to Auburn with a 9-2 record and are third in the SEC with a 3-2 mark. The squad is coming off a 12-8 victory over No. 5 Oklahoma State at home, Feb. 27. A&M’s previous SEC win was a slim 10-9 victory at South Carolina.
Last Time vs. Texas A&M
The then-No. 2 Tigers traveled to College Station during the fall season and dropped a tight 11-8 meet to then-No. 5 Texas A&M, Nov. 6.
Junior Tori Hoft was awarded MOP honors in Equitation on the Flat with a 93-74 win, while freshman Lauren Diaz earned MOP in Horsemanship after scoring an event-high 76.5 points.
Senior Elizabeth Benson picked up a win in Flat, while freshmen Caitlin Boyle and Hayley Iannotti each had victories in Fences. Freshman Sarah Miller and senior Griffin Knight, along with Diaz, led the Tigers to a 3-1 win in Horsemanship, while Sophomore Alexa Rivard topped her opponent in Reining.
Up Next
Auburn closes out the regular season on the road, traveling to nationally ranked Oklahoma State and Kansas State. The Tigers face the Cowgirls in a 10 a.m. meet, March 11, and then go up against the Wildcats in another 10 a.m. meet, March 12.
