March 29, 2008

Blythewood, S.C. --- The Auburn equestrian team (11-4) lost to South Carolina (8-4) Friday in the preliminary round of the 2008 Southern Equestrian Championships 14-5. The Gamecocks defeated the Tigers 7-3 in Hunt Seat and 7-2 in Western. South Carolina advances to the finals to take on top seeded Georgia Saturday at 9 a.m. Central.

"South Carolina did a good job," said Auburn head coach Greg Williams. "We made too many mistakes which caused us not to ride well. This was a low point in the season, but we plan on working extremely hard the next few weeks to get ready for the Varsity Equestrian National Championships."

South Carolina won Hunt Seat Equitation over Fences 4-1 behind MVP Nicole Bourgeois, who defeated Dottie Grubb 83-78. Other Gamecock winners included Eleanor Kunsman over Anna Schierholz 71-68, Sarah Stephens over Jessica Braswell 82-62 and Kristen Terebesi over Ali Loprete 80-70. Auburn's Jenny Reinhart defeated Megan Massaro 81-76.

Auburn's Ali Loprete earned MVP honors in Hunt Seat Equitation on the Flat defeating Victoria Middleton 76-75. South Carolina won the event 3-2. Gamecock winners included Megan Massaro over Katie Breedlove 61-56, Sarah Stephens over Rebecca Rifkin 68-66 and Kristen Terebesi over Coburn Park 66-59. Other Tiger winners included Chelsea Anheuser over Alex Haskell 69-68.

South Carolina won Western Horsemanship 4-0 behind MVP Katie Grossnickle, who defeated Kim Tidwell 72.5-67. Other Gamecock winners included Amy Biffle over Jessica Jones 73-72, Hailey Thornton over Avery Sams 69.5-68 and Allison Bradley over Kylie Miller 73.5-72. Tying with a score of 71 were Auburn's Amy Bohan and South Carolina's Katy Biffle.

Auburn's Paige Monfore earned MVP honors in Western Reining defeating Kyla Thurlow 74.5-72. South Carolina won the event 3-2. Gamecock winners included Allison Bradley over Kim Tidwell 68.5-67, Rebekah Roof over Lyndsey Jordan 74.5-73 and Lindsay Williams over Julie Gibbes 68-66. Other Tiger winners included Kim Pope over Chloe Gray 74-70.5.

Auburn returns to action April 17-19 in Waco, Texas, for the Varsity Equestrian National Championships.