After a disappointing loss to No. 8 South Carolina a week ago, No. 8 A&M equestrian got back on its horse and decisively beat No. 3 Georgia 12-4 with a raw score of 1601-1500.
The Aggies’ victory marked the 39th matchup all-time between the two teams. Despite Georgia’s 26-17 advantage, A&M has found success in recent years, winning five of the last seven ties. The previous matchup ended 9-9, with a raw score of 1592.5-1574.5 giving the Bulldogs the win.
A&M leapt out to an early lead in this bout by eking out key matchups in the Horsemanship event. Aggies’ junior Kaitlyn Bloom rode Cutie Pie to a three-point win over sophomore Abbey Zawisza. Aggies’ senior Ellie Gerbrandt scored a 75 and a point for A&M atop Rosco.
To finish the event, Bulldogs’ senior Jillian Stopperich gracefully maneuvered TJ around the arena to earn a 76 score, just a half point more than her opponent, junior Meagan Braun. The Aggies took the event with a 2-1 point advantage and a raw score of 374.5-369.
In the Flat competition, the two SEC foes split points 2-2, but A&M edged Georgia out in the raw score, 443-436. Coming off Most Outstanding Player honors from her performance against South Carolina, senior Brooke Brombach got the Aggies a point with a 92-score performance on Splendid. Fifth-year Devon Thomas also scored a 92 on Zinnia as she claimed the Aggies’ other point.
After a brief break in the action, the Maroon and White surged ahead to take control of the game in the Fences event. Thomas had one of the most impressive performances of the day, with a 92-point performance on Chapman to earn a point.
An 85-point performance from Georgia senior Catalina Peralta kept the Bulldogs in it, but A&M junior Alexa Leong and sophomore Alida Treuting won their head-to-head Fences matchups to give the Aggies a 3-1 win in the event and a 7-3 lead overall.
A dominant showing in the Reining event put the finishing touches on a rout by the Aggies. The Maroon and White swept the Bulldogs and nabbed all five available points, highlighted by senior Lauren Hanson’s one-point victory over senior Jax Bound atop Tank.
The Aggies will look to keep the momentum rolling when they host Dartmouth at Hildebrand Equine Complex on Feb. 21.
