Georgia Falls to Texas A&M in Regular Season Finale

Saturday, March 4

College Station, Tex.

12 p.m.

University of Georgia

Texas A&M

Georgia western rider Courtney Blumer during a meet against Baylor at the UGA Equestrian Complex in Bishop, Ga., on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022. (Photo by Tony Walsh)

Photo by: Tony Walsh/UGAAA

Georgia Falls to Texas A&M in Regular Season Finale

March 04, 2023 | Equestrian

COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS --- Despite sweeping all Flat points, the No. 6 University of the Georgia equestrian team dropped a 12-8 decision at No. 4 Texas A&M on Saturday afternoon at the Hildebrand Equine Center.

In the first ride of the day, junior Nora Andrews received a score of 97 for her Flat pattern to earn Most Outstanding Performance honors.

"There were moments of brilliance in today's rides," head coach Meghan Boenig said.  "A lot of things that were very close but also moments where we needed to clean things up and take control. I am very proud of Nora's MOP ride, she came out in dominant fashion with that big score.  We continue to struggle to close the door and that's something we need to do as we head into postseason."

Competition started in Flat with all five Bulldogs riding to scores of 90 or above to sweep the points. Nora Andrews led off with the high score of the event and the best of her career after receiving a 97 for her ride.  Sophia Pilla followed with a 94 to remain undefeated throughout the spring.  Next, Ceci Bresch rode to a 93 before Catalina Peralta and Jordan Toering both received scores of 90 for their rides, taking all Flat points from the Aggies.

In the Western arena with Reining, Texas A&M won the first four points, but Raegan Shepherd avoided the sweep.  The freshman edged her opponent, 69-68, to add a Reining point for the Bulldogs.

Georgia held a 6-4 advantage after two events.

Continuing in Fences, the Aggies outscored the Bulldogs 4-1. Texas A&M won the first three rides before Peralta added a point for Georgia. She received an 84 for her course over her Aggie counterpart's score of 80.  Texas A&M took the last Jumping Seat point.

Down 8-7 with five points up for grabs, the Bulldogs began Horsemanship by evening the score with a 70.5 from sophomore Jillian Stopperich. Texas A&M won the last four rides to secure the win over the Bulldogs.

Georgia heads into postseason competition with the SEC Championship on March 24-25, hosted by South Carolina in Blythewood, South Carolina.  The NCEA National Championship takes place April 13-15 at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida.

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.