No. 5 Georgia Upsets No. 2 Texas A&M, 13-7

Saturday, February 17

Bishop, Ga.

11:00 a.m.

University of Georgia

Texas A&M

February 17, 2024 | Equestrian

BISHOP, Ga. --- The No. 5 University of Georgia equestrian team upset No. 2 Texas A&M, 13-7, on Saturday afternoon at the UGA Equestrian Complex, marking the second-straight top-five win for the Bulldogs.

With the win, Georgia improves to 6-4 on the season and 3-2 in SEC competition.  Georgia riders collected all four Most Outstanding Performer honors during the meet.  Sophia Pilla and Catalina Peralta were awarded for their rides in Flat and Fences, respectively, while Jillian Stopperich was honored in Horsemanship and Jax Bound in Reining.

"I think we are building on that confidence," Georgia head coach Meghan Boenig said after the win. "It was such a team win, the energy was there and we were dominate with those MOP wins. It feels pretty good! We have to keep going. We have one more SEC competitor which will determine our standings for the SEC Championship and man, we want it.  This hunger and this fight and how this team consistently shows up every day is what I'm proud of."

The Bulldogs rode to an early lead in Flat, outscoring the Aggies 4-1.  Texas A&M was on the board first but then Georgia won four-straight points.  Senior Sophia Pilla received an 81 for her pattern- the high-score of the event, which earned her MOP honors. Seniors Nora Andrews and Jordan Toering and junior Catalina Peralta all added points for the Bulldogs.

Georgia added three points in Reining.  After review, sophomore Raegan Shepherd scored a 68 to edge her Aggie opponent's score of 67.5.  Texas A&M took the next point before fifth-year senior Caitlin Lyons grabbed a point with a score of 72.  Sophomore Jax Bound followed with a score of 72.5, taking the fourth point of the event by a two-point margin and winning MOP honors.  The Aggies won the last Reining point.

Georgia held a 7-3 advantage with two events remaining in the meet.

The Bulldogs swept Fences points, adding five points to the team total with scores of 80 or above.  Senior Emma Reichow led off with a score of 83, followed by a score of 81 from Tessa Brown.  Next up, Jennifer Staniloff and Tessa Downey both edged their opponents by one point with scores of 80 and 85, respectively.  Peralta finished with a score of 87 to win MOP for her course.

With the Bulldogs leading 12-3, the Aggies attempted a comeback in Horsemanship but it was not enough to overcome the deficit. Texas A&M grabbed four points to the Bulldogs' one.  Jillian Stopperich rode to a score of 77.5 and won MOP honors with the high score of the event.

The Bulldogs are on the road next week at South Carolina with competition slated for Saturday, February 24 at 1 p.m. at One Wood Farm.

HOW TO FOLLOW GEORGIA EQUESTRIAN: For complete information on Georgia equestrian, follow the team on its social media channels via @UGAEquestrian on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.