WACO, Texas – The No. 1 Auburn equestrian team captured the 2016 NCEA Championship crown, defeating No. 6 TCU 8-7 Saturday night in the Extraco Events Center in Waco, Texas. The top-seeded Tigers won the program’s fourth national title overall and the first since 2013.
CLICK HERE to view Candids sponsored by The Rock Stallion and kindly taken by Tina Anderson, Kelli Diaz, Anthony Hall and various others
The national crown was another to add to a list of accomplishments this year’s team has reached. The Tigers concluded the season with a program-best 16-1 overall record and captured the program’s first-ever Southeastern Conference championship in March.
“It was a dramatic finish to a great season,” head coach Greg Williams said. “I’m so proud of this team and the great coaching staff. This staff had everyone ready to play and it’s been an awesome weekend. I give so much credit to TCU for having a fantastic championship. They proved they’re here to compete and are going to be successful in the future.
“We had a lot of business to settle and the focus we had all the way to the end really paid off. I’m so proud and am thankful to have one of the greatest groups of seniors I’ve ever had. And they’ll turn around and say that the underclassmen bought in 100 percent to the program. This is one of the most unified team I’ve ever coached at Auburn.”
“To finish up our senior year with a big win is very exciting,” senior Elizabeth Benson said. “Finishing my career with this team is really great and I couldn’t be more proud.”
The Tigers held a slim 7-5 lead heading into the final event of the night, Reining. Freshman Blair McFarlin earned the team’s eighth point with a 138-137.5 victory over TCU’s Hunter De Jane to guarantee at least a tie. TCU picked up a point in the next Reining match to cut the Tiger lead back to two. One of the biggest rides of the night came in the third match as senior Hailey Munger finished with a great ride to tie Brooke Boyle, 142-142, sealing the Tiger victory.
“We’ve been working up to this moment all year,” Munger said. “I felt a lot of pressure going into that last ride, but I wasn’t nervous. I knew my teammates trusted me and I knew I could do it.”
Highlighting Hunt Seat was Auburn’s performance in Equitation on the Flat as the Tigers swept the Horned Frogs, 4-0. Freshman Caitlin Boyle opened up with a 148-140 win over Jayme Omand, while classmate Ashton Alexander followed with a 160-142 victory. Junior Ashley Foster picked up a 156-148 win and Benson capped the event with the day’s highest Flat score of 179, besting Nikki Diamantis’ 166.
The Equitation over Fences crew totaled two points for the Tigers as Boyle and Alexander each rode to wins. Boyle topped Diamantis, 174-130, while Alexander defeated Omand, 171-130. In Horsemanship, senior Hannah Loseke finished the week undefeated and topped Marah Huston, 152.5-147.
Benson earned MOP honor on Flat, while Boyle was named MOP over Fences and McFarlin won MOP in Reining. The NCEA All-Championship team comprised of Benson (Flat), Foster (Flat), Boyle (Flat and Fences), Loseke (Horsemanship) and McFarlin (Reining).
