The No. 4 Georgia equestrian team pulled off a narrow victory over No. 3 A&M on Saturday by a score of 9-8 at the Hildebrand Equine Complex.
The loss comes in the Aggies’ final meet of the season before the SEC Championship Tournament in Bishop, Ga. A&M ends the regular season at 3-4 overall and 2-4 in conference competition.
Graduating seniors were honored in an emotional ceremony after a grueling season for the Aggies as they competed through the COVID-19 pandemic.
“They’ve done a great job in leading this team through these couple of challenging years as upperclassmen,” head coach Tana McKay said. “It’s hard because those four years fly by, and it’s always amazing that these girls become seniors so quickly but they’re a great group. We had a really great presentation to acknowledge them in our arena, and we had a great senior night.”
The Aggies secured a 3-2 victory over the Bulldogs in Horsemanship when Saturday’s meet kicked off. Senior Cameron Crenwelge scored the first point to defeat freshman Leah Anderson 79-77 and to earn Most Outstanding Player. Senior Rheagan Bryant earned her first NCAA victory when she outscored Sara Lewis 78-75. Junior Hayley Riddle concluded a solid season as she notched the last point for the Aggies, defeating Kaitlin Dierks 78-76.
The Aggies struggled in Fences, with sophomore Kaitlyn Lovingfoss scoring the only point with her defeat of Emma Reichow 89-85. Lovingfoss’s score matched the highest by any Aggie this season, according to 12thman.com.
The Bulldogs defeated the Aggies 3-2 in Flat. Senior Caroline Dance earned the first point for the Aggies, defeating Hayley Mairano 91-87. Nicole Leonard captured the second point, outscoring Nora Andrews 95-66.
The Aggies fared better in Reining to secure a 2-1 victory over Georgia. Senior Shelby Reine recorded a 74 to edge out Caitlin Lyons’s 73 before sophomore Emmy-Lu Marsh prevailed over Jordan Carpenter 73-72.5.
The narrow defeat marked the second against the Bulldogs this season after Georgia beat A&M 10-9 on Oct. 29 during the first meet of the Aggies’ campaign.
“These are the losses we remember a little more,” Crenwelge said. “I think that we can look at this as a blessing in disguise because we will face them at some point at the SEC Championship. I think it’s something that can light all of our fires and drive us to give that extra 10 percent in practice.”
Senior Night allowed Crenwelge a moment of gratitude as she and the team look forward to the postseason.
“At this point I have nothing to lose,” Crenwelge said. “I’m going to full send it 110 percent every ride because these are my last weeks … While we’re all hoping to bring home a ring, at the end of the day the opportunity to participate in something as special as this with a group of girls who truly value each other is worth more than any ring will ever be.”
A&M is scheduled to compete March 26-27 at the SEC Championship in Bishop, Ga.