[break] The No. 3 Georgia equestrian team defeated No. 5 Texas A&M 13-6 on Saturday afternoon at the UGA Equestrian Complex in Bishop, Ga. With the win, the Bulldogs improve to 7-4 on the season, including a 4-2 record in Southeastern Conference action.

 

“Senior day is such a special time,” said head coach Meghan Boenig. “This is a smaller group and they are that much more cohesive because of it. They have made such a positive impact on this team. As far as the competition, I was really impressed with how we performed. We had minimal errors and a lot of rides that are the level we are looking for going into our meets in California and post season. We’ll continue to push ourselves and look for ways to improve.”

 

“I’m so proud of this whole team,” added associate head coach Mary Meneely. “It was great to see all of our seniors win their points. They are leaving a true legacy behind and are setting this team up for a successful future.”

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The Bulldogs picked up three MOPs on the day from Kylee Arbuckle (Equitation Over Fences), Sara Parr (Horsemanship) and Lauren Garmon (Reining).

 

Georgia swept Texas A&M in Equitation Over Fences with a perfect score of 5-0. Meg O’Mara started things off with an 80-79 decision over Alex Desiderio. Megan Southam and Liza Finsness put two more points on the board, scoring 77 and 82 respectively. Arbuckle used a score of 84 to defeat Marlena Parker and was awarded MOP. Leylan Gleeson completed the sweep, defeating Hannah Williams 79-76.

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The Bulldogs continued the momentum in Horsemanship, defeating the Aggies 3-1. Texas A&M’s Molli Jacobs earned the Aggies lone point with a 68-62.5 decision. Bailey Anderson took the next point with a 73-66 victory over Carolyn Day. Rachel Kolb and Kaci Fisher then rode to a 75.5-point draw. Paige Stawicki outscored Logan Pluhar to bring the event score 2-1. In the anchor position for the Bulldogs, Parr used an event-high score of 77 to defeat Avery Ellis and was awarded MOP for the performance.

 

Georgia dropped a 3-2 decision to Texas A&M in Equitation on the Flat. Hannah Williams picked up the first point for the Aggies, but Arbuckle answered with an 82-79 victory over Parker. Meg O’Mara edged Anna Rea 81-81. Texas A&M earned the final three points with winning rides from Audrey Gallagher and Haley Buchmiller.

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Going into the final event of the day, Georgia led Texas A&M 10-4. In Reining, Lindsey Cheek took the first point, defeating 67.5-66.5. Sarah Kate Grider and Laura Sumrall earned the next two points for the Aggies. Lauren Garmon put up another point for the Bulldogs with a MOP-earning, 69-65 decision. Lauren Tieche sealed the event with a 68.5-68 victory over Jaci Marley.

 

Georgia will next travel to Fresno, Calif. to take on Fresno State March 6, followed by TCU on March 7. ​