University of Georgia Athletics
University of Georgia
Texas A&M
Georgia Equestrian Defeats No. 3 Texas A&M, 12-7
February 07, 2026 | Equestrian
BISHOP, Ga. – The second-ranked Georgia equestrian team defeated No. 3 Texas A&M, 12-7 at the UGA Equestrian Complex on Saturday. The Mane Dawgs brought home MOP honors for three out of four disciplines.
Fast Facts
- Georgia dominated the Aggies 4-1 in Horsemanship to open the meet. Junior Abbey Zawisza posted the Bulldogs' highest score with a 76.5 to win her third MOP of the season. Seniors Alyvia Dixon and Kendall McClintock added a 75.5 and a 73.75 to win their points, respectively. Junior Lyla Bellar chipped in a 73.25 to add a fourth point for the Mane Dawgs.
- Georgia edged out the Aggies in Fences 3-2. Junior Tessa Downey added another MOP to her resume after an 88-point ride for the Bulldogs. Sophomore Ella Witt tied her career high of 86, capturing her point over Texas A&M's Grace Defoe by five points. Tessa Brown won the third point for the Bulldogs with an 86.5-point ride, beating her opponent by three points.
- The Bulldogs took a 3-2 win against the Aggies in Reining. Cadence Eger sat at the top of the Reining leader board for the Bulldogs with a score of 73.75. Junior Kennedy Buchanan posted a score of 73.5, a new career high, to add another point to the Georgia lead. senior Shelby Lynch scored a 73 to earn the third Georgia point. Texas A&M's Mattie Gustin was awarded MOP for the event.
- Georgia and Texas A&M wrapped up the meet in Flat tied with two points each. Tessa Brown earned the first Flat MOP honor of her career, after riding to an 89 to win her point, leading the Mane Dawgs in scoring for the event. Senior Maggie Bresch contributed the other Georgia point with an 83.5-point ride.
- Three Mane Dawgs either earned or tied their career high scores in the win. Along with Buchanan, Brown rode to a new career high of 89 in Flat, and Witt's 86 in Fences tied her career best.
Key Quotes
Georgia Equestrian Head Coach Meghan Boenig
On what stood out about today's performances...
I think coming out here and seeing some really big scores, some early dominance coming out. There's a lot of challenges, even when you're hosting at home. You see this big crowd and all of the sudden the wind gets whipping. Every horse is a little bit more frantic and they really aren't like they were yesterday, so you have to stay really adjustable. To see that number of MOPs coming from Georgia rides, those nice big beats with some really high scores is very rewarding. It really bodes well for where at this point in the season. This is a very good team. This is the No. 3 team right here. However, we have some work to do because we're turning around and going back on the road against a very good team. We can't let off the gas. This is part of our building part of the season.
Tessa Brown | Jumping Seat | Senior
On preparation for this week's meet…
I think we were really prepared for this week, we had a lot of time with good weather to get in there, feel the horses out, feel the courses out, feel the patterns out. I'd say we were really prepared for this meet, and I was really excited to draw the horses that I did.
On the impact of today's win…
Our team is all about chopping wood and carrying water, we're reading that book right now. I think the consistency of showing up every single day doesn't change whether it's a win or a loss for our team. I think this win continues our momentum, but every day we're going to just do what we do and work when no one's looking.
Up Next
Georgia will hit the road next week to face off against No. 6 South Carolina at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14 at One Wood Farm in Blythewood S.C.
#2 GEORGIA 12, #3 TEXAS A&M 7
FENCES
Alida Treuting (A&M) def. Madison Nadolenco (UGA) 85-83
Ella Witt (UGA) def. Grace Defoe (A&M) 86-81
Tessa Brown (UGA) def. Alexa Leong (A&M) 86.5-83.5
Grace Shipman (A&M) def. Liza Cram (UGA) 88.5-83.5
Tessa Downey (UGA)* def. Kate Egan (A&M) 88-87
FLAT
Logan Thomas (A&M) def. Ella Duffy (UGA) 84-78
Londyn Samlaska (A&M) def. Parker Cliff (UGA) 85.5-78.5
Maggie Bresch (UGA) def. Devan Thomas (A&M) 83.5-81.5
Tessa Brown (UGA)* def. Nicole McMillion (A&M) 89-85.5
Kingsley Dey (UGA) tied Kate Egan (A&M) 86-86
HORSEMANSHIP
Lyla Bellar (UGA) def. Kaitlyn Bloom (A&M) 73.25-72.75
Kendall McClintock (UGA) def. Ady Kallay (A&M) 73.75-67.25
Abbey Zawisza (UGA)* def. Meagan Braun (A&M) 76.5-76
Alyvia Dixon (UGA) def. Kaylynn Heitman (A&M) 75.5-75.25
Kendall Dirksin (A&M) def. Ava Hathaway (UGA) 76.75-76
REINING
Kennedy Buchanan (UGA) def. Anna Harris (A&M) 73.5-72.75
Shelby Lynch (UGA) def. Gracie Casebolt (A&M) 73-72.25
Mattie Gustin (A&M)* def. Avery Taylor (UGA) 71.75-69.5
Moriah McQueen (A&M) def. Raegan Shepherd (UGA) 72.5-72.25
Cadence Eger (UGA) def. Isabelle Gonzalez (A&M) 73.75-73
Players Mentioned
