Georgia Opens Season Against Baylor Friday

ATHENS, Ga. --- The No. 5 University of Georgia equestrian team will begin the 2022-23 campaign against No. 7 Baylor on Friday at the UGA Equestrian Complex.  Competition is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. and admission is free.

Georgia returns all but two prominent starters to the lineup for this season. In total, the Bulldogs bring back eight riders who claimed nine NCEA All-America honors and ten All-SEC nods. Junior Jordan Toering and senior Caitlin Lyons were named SEC Rider of the Year for Flat and Reining, respectively, last season. Additionally, Jillian Stopperich was named SEC Freshman Co-Horsemanship Rider of the Year while Jax Bound was named the SEC Freshman Reining Rider of the Year.

FENCES
Toering returns to the Fences lineup for her junior year after winning 10 points and three Most Outstanding Performer honors, which earned her NCEA Second-Team All-America nods.  Rachel McMullen received NCEA All-America Honorable Mention.

FLAT
Toering also returns to the Flat lineup after being named the SEC Flat Rider of the Year and earning NCEA First-Team All-America recognition.  She earned five MOP honors last season and scored a 97.5 in Flat in the regular season finale against UT Martin, which is the fifth highest in program history.  Sophia Pilla earned NCEA Second-Team All-America honors and claimed three MOPs last season.

HORSEMANSHIP
The full Horsemanship lineup returns for this season. Sara Lewis is back for a fifth year, adding to her dominance in the event.  She has compiled a career record of 34-12-2 with three MOP honors.  She broke an SEC Championship record in Horsemanship, scoring a 231 for her ride, which tied with Auburn's Olivia Tordoff at the conclusion of the championship weekend. The previous high score of 225.5 was set in 2019. Jillian Stopperich was named SEC Freshman Co-Horsemanship Rider of the Year last season after winning seven points and two MOP honors.

REINING
Courtney Blumer returns for a fifth season.  After claiming the final point to secure the Bulldogs' 2021 National Championship, Blumer rode to a 7-3-2 record last year with one MOP, earning NCEA All-America Honorable Mention.  On top of being named the SEC Reining Rider of the Year, Caitlin Lyons received NCEA Second-Team All-America honors. Jax Bound was named the SEC Freshman Reining Rider of the Year after riding to a 7-3 record and three MOP honors in her Rookie season, and claimed NCEA Second-Team All-America honors. Her score of 219.5 at the SEC Championship was the best Reining score recorded in SEC Championship history.  The previous high score was a 215.5, also set in 2019.

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.

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Players Mentioned

Courtney Blumer

Jax Bound

Sara Lewis

Caitlin Lyons

Rachel McMullen

Sophia Pilla

Jillian Stopperich

Jordan Toering

University of Georgia Athletics