For the fifth time in school history and the fourth time this decade, the Auburn Tigers are national champions in equestrian. No. 2 Auburn defeated No. 1 University of Georgia to claim the overall team championship at the 2018 National Collegiate Equestrian Association Championships.
Auburn Equestrian Victorious BY CAITLIN BOYLE The Auburn University Equestrian Team had a phenomenal finish to a great year and I am so fortunate to have played a role in our success. Being on a team is such a unique experience when we take part in the sport as individuals our whole lives. At Auburn, we have the most amazing coaches that help us succeed not only in the ring, but in school and all other aspects of life. Coach Williams, Coach Braswell, and Coach Meneely have an enormous amount of passion for what they do and we wouldn’t have be able to win the National Championship without their consistent encouragement throughout the year. In the final round at the Championships, it worked out that my ride could clinch the win and I was aware of this before walking into the ring. I was so nervous because as a member of the team you know that not only does your team rely
on you, but the whole Auburn Community is watching and cheering for us as well. I have been in situations with lots of pressure before, so I tried to use my past experience to calm me down. Once I jumped the first jump, my nerves disappeared and I focused on riding that track correctly and got into a good rhythm. As I was leaving the arena, the room erupted with cheers and we all anxiously awaited for the score to be announced. It felt like an eternity. But when the scores came in, they were what we needed to win the point and the overall NCEA National Championship. It was an incredible feeling to celebrate in the stands with the team and everyone’s family. There were tears of joy everywhere you turned because everything we had worked for all year finally just paid off. When we start back up in the fall, it will be exciting to welcome our new freshmen and get back to work. Nothing could make my senior year better than ending with winning another National Championship with some of the best teammates I could ask for.
Auburn Equestrian