The Auburn equestrian team lost to South Carolina, 11-8, in a close semifinal match at the National Collegiate Equestrian Association Championships on April 17 at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida.
This result means Auburn, ranked No. 1 going into the event, finishes its season with a record of 10 wins and four losses. The competition was closely contested throughout, with several matchups decided by less than half a point.
Head coach Jessica Braswell said after the meet, “It was a highly competitive meet and the scores were very close. I’m so proud of this team and how they rode today. I told them that if we had to do it over again, I wouldn’t change anything because we really put it all out there. I’m really proud regardless of the outcome.”
South Carolina led early after Fences and Reining events, holding a narrow lead at halftime. Auburn’s Avery Glynn and Ariana Marnell each scored an 88.3 in Fences to secure points for their team. In Reining, freshman Sofia Tieche won her matchup with a score of 71.2-70.5 while senior Alexia Tordoff followed with a win at 73-72.3.
After halftime, South Carolina continued to edge ahead during Flat competition before Glynn posted another strong performance with a win at 90.7-87 for Auburn and Marnell closed out Flat with an 88.3-77 victory.
Horsemanship saw upperclassmen Tordoff and junior Callie Hogg earn victories for Auburn as well; Tordoff scored a match-best 77.2 while Hogg finished her round ahead by more than two points.
Braswell said about her team’s effort: “The reality is that at the end of the season, only one team gets to leave happy,” adding that although things did not go as hoped this time around she feels her riders should be proud: “This team is too good and I feel like we put in good performances here in Ocala.”
As both teams now look toward next season’s competitions, Auburn will aim to build on its strong showing despite falling short in this year’s national semifinals.
