University of Georgia
South Dakota State
No. 4 Georgia Honors 16 Seniors in Dominant 16-3 Win over SDSU
March 02, 2024 | Equestrian
BISHOP, Ga. — The No. 4 Georgia equestrian team took on South Dakota State University Saturday for the final meet of the regular season, honoring 16 seniors for their contributions to the program. In a dominant performance, the Bulldogs rode to a 16-3 victory over their opponent, securing wins in all four events.
Claiming a win over No. 5 South Carolina in their most recent matchup, UGA has moved up to the No. 4 spot in the NCEA rankings. Auburn (6-4, 2-3 SEC) and Texas A&M (7-2, 4-1 SEC) will face off on March 9 after which the seeding for the SEC Championship will be determined. The championship is set to take place March 29-30 in College Station, Texas.
Highlighting the meet were Georgia's four Most Outstanding Performer riders — junior Catalina Peralta (Flat), senior Hannah Jane Lucas (Reining), sophomore Tessa Brown (Fences) and junior Jillian Stopperich (Horsemanship).
"What an incredible end to our senior meet today, to see the strength of the rides, the MOP's, the emotion," Georgia head coach Meghan Boenig said. "These ladies have really done something incredible with the culture that they have established in this team. It has been a long time since I've felt anything like this, in this role. Their challenge is to not end today with that. We've got the postseason to keep that role going. I'm incredibly proud of the resilience, the hard work and the discipline that the ladies exemplify every time they go out. We're going to miss this group entirely too much."
Georgia showed out early in Flat, leading the day 5-0 in the first leg of the contest. Senior Jordan Toering put the Bulldogs on the board first with a score of 85, supported by a score of 80 from senior Nora Andrews, 89 points from event MOP Peralta, 86 from senior Sophia Pilla, and 87 from sophomore Isabella David to sweep the event.
Continuing their dominant performance in Reining, the Bulldogs added four points to their score on the day, further extending the lead over the Jackrabbits. With a tie from junior Jax Bound to push the point on her ride, graduate Caitlin Lyons, sophomores Raegan Shepherd and Shelby Lynch and Lucas moved the score to 9-0 at the half. Lucas won MOP honors for her one-point victory over her opponent to secure the event sweep.
The Bulldogs put nine unanswered points on the board at the conclusion of Flat and Reining before continuing their control of the score in the second half.
Taking on the Fences arena, Georgia earned three points to SDSU's two, moving the score on the day to 12-2. The points for the Bulldogs were awarded to senior Emma Reichow, freshman Tessa Downey and sophomore Brown for their rides. Brown defeated her counterpart 87-75, securing MOP honors.
Georgia won out in Horsemanship 4-1. The victory in this event was secured by points from junior Jordan Davis, graduate Grace Himes, junior Austin Layer and Stopperich. Stopperich's ride to a 76.5 over her opponent's 71.5 earned her the MOP honor for this event.
Today's meet marked the conclusion of Georgia's regular season at the UGA Equestrian Complex. The Bulldogs were proud to honor their 16 seniors for Senior Day with the support of today's spectators.
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.
Players Mentioned
