The top-ranked Auburn equestrian team is set to travel to Bishop, Georgia, for a Southeastern Conference matchup against No. 3 Georgia on Saturday, February 28. The meet will take place at the UGA Equestrian Complex and is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. CT.
Head coach Jessica Braswell commented on the significance of the rivalry and the challenge ahead: “Georgia is a really good team and a very competitive team. We have a huge opportunity on the road this weekend to see what we’re made of. If we can bring the same energy and consistency that we have at home on the road then we have a great chance this Saturday.”
Auburn and Georgia are both established programs in collegiate equestrian, having combined for 14 national titles since the sport’s inception. Their rivalry has featured closely contested matches over the years.
“This is definitely our biggest rivalry and this match-up has always been a battle,” Braswell said. “This is a huge opportunity for us Saturday because not only does this rivalry mean a lot to our program, but to the Auburn fans as well. We always love to get a win at Georgia.”
Saturday’s competition carries additional importance for seeding in the upcoming SEC Championships. With two conference meets left in the regular season, Auburn aims to secure its position as top seed by winning on Saturday.
“This team has a lot of resilience and we control our own destiny,” Braswell said. “We have two SEC meets left and have a good chance of being that top seed at SECs. We will put ourselves into a great position if we can get the win Saturday.”
The Auburn lineup remains consistent with three seniors, four juniors, four sophomores, and three freshmen competing against Georgia.
In Jumping Seat events, junior Avery Glynn (15-3-0 overall) leads with an undefeated record on Flat (9-0-0), while freshman Caroline Olsen (15-3-0) holds strong marks in Fences (8-1-0) and Flat (7-2-0). Sophomores Kate Hagerty (5-4-0 in Fences) and Ariana Marnell (10 wins overall) will also compete in both Fences and Flat events alongside Glynn and Olsen.
Freshman Emily Jurnovoy joins in Fences with two wins so far this season; sophomore Sadie Berkhout will ride Flat with five victories in that event.
On the Western side, senior Alexia Tordoff leads Horsemanship with seven wins out of nine matchups (7-1-1) and adds six more victories in Reining (6-2-1). Junior Callie Hogg contributes five Horsemanship wins along with four Reining victories.
Senior Caroline Fredenburg, juniors Brooke Jolstad, and Sydney Swallom join Tordoff and Hogg in Horsemanship; Swallom holds seven wins while Fredenburg and Jolstad each tally six. In Reining, senior Caroline Buchanan, sophomore Michelle Fumagalli, freshman Sofia Tieche accompany Tordoff and Hogg; Buchanan and Fumagalli each have four wins while Tieche adds three.
Historically, Georgia leads their series against Auburn with 34 wins to Auburn’s 29. The teams have split their regular-season meetings over the last two years; Auburn last won in Bishop on October 7, 2022.
Their most recent meeting took place November 21 at Auburn University Equestrian Center where Auburn defeated Georgia 14–6.
Looking ahead, Auburn will conclude its regular season by hosting No. 5 Texas A&M on March 7 at home; admission is free for fans attending that event.
