The Auburn equestrian team, ranked No. 1 nationally, is set to resume its season on Saturday as it faces UT Martin at the Ned McWherter Agricultural Complex in Martin, Tennessee. The match will begin at 10 a.m. CT and marks the opening of Auburn’s spring schedule for the 2025-26 season.
Head coach Jessica Braswell commented on the upcoming competition: “It’s going to be a tough match up this weekend. UT Martin is a gritty team that works very hard and we’re going to have to be ready for that on Saturday.”
Auburn returns to action after a seven-week break between the fall and spring segments of its regular season. “We’re excited to be back,” Braswell said. “We had about seven weeks off between the end of the fall season and the beginning of our spring practice on the first day of class. I’m excited about where we’re at after a couple weeks of practice and am looking forward to what’s in store this second half of the year.”
The Tigers finished their fall campaign with wins over then-No. 2 South Carolina and then-No. 1 Georgia, securing their top national ranking heading into spring.
Braswell noted, “I’m really proud of where we finished in the fall. Being the No. 1 team is always the goal, but what really matters is what we do in March and April. We’ve got a bigger target on our back now and we’ve got to be ready for it. We can still get a lot better as we progress through the rest of the season and it all starts this weekend.”
For Saturday’s matchup, Auburn’s lineup includes three seniors, four juniors, four sophomores, and three freshmen competing against UT Martin.
In Jumping Seat events, junior Avery Glynn leads with undefeated records in both Fences (6-0-0) and Flat (6-0-0). She will compete alongside sophomores Kate Hagerty and Ariana Marnell as well as freshman Caroline Olsen—both Marnell and Olsen hold 5-1-0 records in Fences; Olsen also has a 5-1-0 record on Flat.
Freshman Emily Jurnovoy makes her second start in Fences while sophomore Sadie Berkhout competes in Flat with a current mark of 4-1-0.
On Western events, senior Alexia Tordoff (6-0-0 Horsemanship; 3-2-1 Reining) joins junior Callie Hogg (four wins Horsemanship) competing in both Horsemanship and Reining. Other Horsemanship competitors include senior Caroline Fredenburg (4-1-1), juniors Brooke Jolstad (three wins), and Sydney Swallom (undefeated at 6-0-0).
Reining participants also feature senior Caroline Buchanan, sophomore Michelle Fumagalli, and freshman Sofia Tieche—Fumagalli and Buchanan each have three wins so far this year.
Historically, Auburn has won all previous meetings against UT Martin (20–0 overall; 11–0 away). Last season saw Auburn secure victories both home and away against UT Martin.
Following Saturday’s meet, Auburn will travel again to face SEC rival No. 3 South Carolina on February 7 at One Wood Farm Equestrian Center in Blythewood, South Carolina.
