October Equestrian Riders of the Month
Photo: SEC Staff
Fences: Ava Stearns - Auburn
- Kicked off the season with a perfect 6‐0‐0 mark, earning 3 MOPs
- Averaged an 86.3 over six meets, including a pair of scores in the 90s and had a winning margin of 5.8
- Opened the season with a career‐high 91 in her win over No. 2 Georgia and followed with a 90 on the road at No. 4 Oklahoma State ... earned back‐to‐back MOP awards against both opponents
- Helped Auburn sweep a pair of opponents in the event - Lynchburg & No. 7 Fresno State
- Scored 88 points in the win over Fresno State
- Final MOP of the month came against another SEC opponent as she edged her Gamecock opponent with 85 points.
Flat: Trinity Hammerschmidt - South Carolina
- Hammerschmidt had a very successful October, going 4-0-0 on the flat. She never scored below a 79 all month and highlighted the meet against then-No. 6 TCU with an M.O.P. ride and score of 84.5.
- Her highest score this month of 85 in the home meet against then-No. 5 Texas A&M was the highest score for South Carolina on the flat. Her ride earned the lone point for the Gamecocks on the flat that meet when she topped Devon Thomas.
- In the meet at then-No. 1 Auburn, Hammerschmidt earned M.O.P. honors for the second time this fall when she topped Emma Kurtz 79.5-75.5, the largest margin of victory in the event.
- Hammerschmidt contributed to the Gamecocks most points scored at Auburn since 2014.
Horsemanship: Taylor Searles - Auburn
- Kicked off her final season on the Plains with a perfect 5‐0‐0 mark in Horsemanship
- Opened the season a 7.5‐point win over No. 2 Georgia, tying her career high with a 79, earning MOP
- Picked up back‐to‐back road wins against Top 5 opponents - at No. 4 Oklahoma State & No. 3 SMU
- Scored a 78.5 at SMU to win her point
- Winning margin in the final two meets of the year was 12.5 points
- Earned a 74‐66 victory over No. 7 Fresno State and closed out the month with a 76‐59 win against No. 9 South Carolina
- Helped Auburn go 4‐1 against South Carolina to cap October.
Reining: Emma Lane, South Carolina
- Lane won a point for the team in three out of four meets. She did not score a point against then-No. 6 TCU due to a tie score of 70.5.
- In the home meet against then-No. 5 Texas A&M, she earned her first M.O.P. honor of the season with a score of 73.5.
- That was the highest score of the day in the event. That score also set her collegiate career best score in reining.
- Her point against then-No. 1 Auburn against Terri June Granger helped the Gamecocks earn the most points in a meet at Auburn since 2014.
- Lane outscored Granger 68-65, the largest margin of victory in the event.
Courtney Blumer, Georgia
- Blumer went undefeated for the month of October in the reining event.
- She had 2 road wins versus top 3 opponents, and 1 tie versus Texas A&M (ranked 5th).
- Her ride at SMU helped to clinch the meet for Georgia at the end of the day.