Auburn wins SEC Equestrian title
BISHOP, Ga. -- Top-seeded Auburn won its first-ever SEC Equestrian crown after downing No. 2 Georgia, 11-7 in Saturday's finals at the Georgia Equestrian Complex.
No. 4 seed South Carolina upset No. 3 Texas A&M in SEC Equestrian Championship consolation finals, 11-8 Saturday morning.
All-Championship honors went to Auburn's Caitlin Boyle in Equitation Over Fences and Georgia's Meg O'Mara in Equitation on the Flat on the Hunt Seat discipline. In the Western Arena, South Carolina's Abigail Pait and Bailey Walters earned All-Championship honors in Horsemanship and Reining, respectively.
In the finals, O'Mara was named MOP for Equitation on the Flat, Auburn's Ashley Foster in Equitation over Fences, Tiger Hannah Stephens won MOP in Horsemanship and teammate Allie Dusha earned the honors in Reining.
The title is Auburn's first-ever SEC Championship since the conference began sponsoring Equestrian in 2012.
Auburn and Georgia tied in Equitation over Fences, 2-2. The Tigers topped the Bulldogs in Equitation on the Flat, 3-2, and in Horsemanship, 4-0. The Bulldogs came out on top in Reining, 3-2.
South Carolina swept the Hunt Seat discipline with a 5-0 score on the Flat and a 4-0 win Over Fences, with one head-to-head resulting in a tie. The win is the Gamecocks' first conference win this season.
Texas A&M took four of five points in Horsemanship, as well as won 4-1 in Reining, but it wasn't enough to take back a win.
In Fences, MOP honors went to South Carolina's Lizzie van der Walde, while Flat MOP was awarded to Gamecock Samantha Kraus. On the Western side, Texas A&M's Logan Pluhar was named MOP of Horsemanship and South Carolina's Bailey Walters earned the honors in Reining.