Auburn Equestrian Inks 11 of the Nation’s Top Riders

Press Release

AUBURN, Ala. — Eleven of the nation’s top riders have signed to compete for Auburn in the class of 2015, head coach Greg Williams announced Thursday. The Tigers signed six Western and five Hunt Seat riders giving Auburn depth in all four events.

“This is a really big class, and we kept a lot of scholarship for this class,” Williams said. “It is unbelievable talented. It is a large class, and what makes ours special is that this is the largest pool of talent we have ever brought in at time, so we are really excited. We loaded up, and if you look at the list of signees; every single one can make an immediate impact. There isn’t one of that we signed, that can’t start in the SEC.”

On the Western side, the Tigers signed Betsy Brown (Worthington, Ohio), Lauren Diaz (Heath, Ohio), Ali Fratessa (Wheelock, Texas), Blair McFarlin (Franklin, Tenn.), Sarah Miller (Boulder, Colo.) and Megan Rauh (Carmel, Ind.).

Brown finished in the top-10 at the 2014 Congress AQHA Novice Youth Amateur Reining and was the 2012 CORHA and NRHA Rookie of the Year. Diaz is currently leading the nation in the AQHYA in all-around and is ranked first in showmanship, horsemanship and equitation. Diaz is a two-time NYATT Congress Champion and finished in the top-10 at the AQHYA High Point All Around in 2012 and 2013.

During the 2014 season, Fratessa was the IEA Reining Champion and in 2013 she was the Western Horsemanship Reserve National Champion. This summer at the AQYHA World Cup, she earned a silver medal in the horsemanship. McFarlin has finished the 2014 season ranked second in the NRHA Youth 14-18 and was the 2013 Dixie Nationals NRHA 14-18 Champion.

To read the full release and get roster bios, click here.