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The Georgia equestrian team defeated Auburn 13-6 Friday afternoon at the Hildebrand Equine Complex to advance to the final round of the Southeastern Conference Championship. The teams will meet in the championship round Saturday, March 28 at 1 p.m.
Highlighting the meet were MOPs Liza Finsness and Paige Stawicki. Finsness earned the honors in both Equitation Over Fences and Equitation on the Flat, while Stawicki was awarded the honors in Horsemanship.
The Bulldogs jumped to a 3-2 lead in Equitation on the Flat. Meg O’Mara used a 158-129 decision over Jennifer Delman to claim the first point of the day. Auburn’s Demi Stiegler and Tory Hoft earned the next two points for the Tigers. Finsness knotted the score with a 158-148 victory over Ashley Foster. Megan Southam sealed the win for the Bulldogs, outscoring Elizabeth Benson 138-132.
Georgia dropped a 4-1 decision in Reining. Auburn’s Alli Dusha and Aleza Rivard took the first two points. Lauren Garmon answered with a 139-138.5 decision over Griffin Knight to earn the lone point of the event for the Bulldogs. Katsy Leeman and Griffin Knight picked up the final two points for Auburn. At the conclusion of two events, Georgia trailed Auburn 6-4.
The Bulldogs completed a perfect 5-0 sweep in Equitation Over Fences. O’Mara set the pace, defeating Megan Bifano 142-129. Leylan Gleeson put the next point on the board with a 158-145 victory over Peyton Smith. Finsness was up next, using a 174 to defeat Ashley Foster’s 145. Megan Southam put up a 150-137 victory, followed by a 168-158 win from Kylee Arbuckle to take a 9-6 lead over Auburn overall.
Sara Parr led the Horsemanship squad to a 4-1 victory by earning the first point of the event 148-134.5 over Hannah Stephens. Rachel Kolb followed suit, defeating Lucy Igoe 147.5-143. Heather Schmidt put the third-straight point on the board for Georgia with a 149-147 win over Hannah Loseke. Bailey Anderson then rode to a 148-point tie with Leeman. Stawicki sealed the event and overall win with the event high score of 152.5 over Griffin Knight’s 151.
Georgia will take on the third-seeded Texas A&M tomorrow, Saturday March 28. The championship will take place at 1 p.m. CT after the conclusion of the consolation round which is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. CT. Follow @UGAEquestrian on Twitter for live scoring updates.