COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 4 Texas A&M equestrian team dropped a narrow 11-9 decision to No. 1 Auburn Saturday at the Hildebrand Equine Complex.
“I am so proud of the way they rode,” head coach Tana McKay said. “The way it finished didn’t end up our direction, but every kid was able to come out of that arena and say ‘I did everything I could’ and as coaches, that’s what we strive for and we did that for twenty rides which is huge.”
In the day’s first event, Fences, Caroline Dance set a new career-high score of 90, defeating Taylor St. Jacques’s 81. Freshman Kaitlyn Lovingfoss knocked off Emma Kurtz, 90-88, setting a new season-high.
In Horsemanship, Katie Conklin secured the lone point for the Aggies, defeating Kara Kaufmann, 76.5-73. Conklin’s score of 76.5 is the highest score this season by an Aggie in Horsemanship.
In Flat, Caroline Dance topped Emma Kurtz, 90-82, before Nicole Leonard wrapped up the event with an 80, besting Anna Claire Smiths’ 67.
Marissa Harrell was named Most Outstanding Player in Reining, defeating Auburn’s Deanna Green, 69.5-65. Emmy-Lu Marsh beat Jen Kasper, 68.5-66, followed by Lisa Bricker edging out Boo Kammerer, 69.5-69. Courtney Yohey closed out the event with a 67.5-66.5 win against Terri-June Granger.
“There was some perseverance this fall and that’s when you learn,” McKay added. “The losses aren’t always a negative thing, so they had to dig deep in a short amount of time. That shows you the grit of this team.”
The Aggies return to action on February 1 against Georgia at 10 a.m. at the Hildebrand Equine Complex.
To learn more about the Aggie Equestrian team, log on to 12thMan.com or follow @AggieEquestrian on Twitter and Instagram.
Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics