2016 University of Miami polo team (L to R0-Jared Zenni, Jonny Lavine and Ricky Mershad.
It’s been over sixty years since the University of Miami boasted major polo credentials. The initial program was developed under the sponsorship of 10-goaler Michael Phipps and his pro, George Oliver. Phipps honed his teeth on arena polo during his college days at Yale University (playing on a national championship Yale team in 1932).
Phipps imported some players from the New Mexico Military Academy (J. R. “Speed” Evans, J. Mather and R. Knight) and arranged for the University of Miami team to play in the Orange Bowl on the undercard of a professional high-goal arena polo program that featured the likes of Cecil Smith, Stewart Iglehart, George, Oliver and Phipps himself.
Behind the coaching Oliver the University of Miami won four consecutive national championships (1948, 1949, 1950 and 1951) before being disbanded.
The resurrection of the program at Miami occurred in 2012 and has progressed under the mentorship of the team’s coach, Senter Johnson. Johnson, a member of Cornell’s 2005 National Championship team, admitted that it was slow going until Sohail Quraeshi and Escue Polo came to his assistance furnishing a facility and horses.
Heavy recruiting followed the support of Escue Polo helped Johnson assemble the current team of Jared Zenni, Jonny Lavine, Ricky Mershad and Rodrigo De Vicuna.
In late March the University of Miami (Zenni, Lavine and Mershad) made its first appearance in the Southeast Men’s Intercollegiate Regionals since the program was resurrected in 2012.
An impressive showing against collegiate powerhouse University of Virginia (Aristade Faggionato, Ali Mobtaker, Felipe Gomez and Merrall Echezarreta) had the University of Miami jump out to a 3-0 start and lead 9-5 at the end of the first half. Miami continued to lead after three chukkers, 11-8, but gave up six goals in the fourth period allowing Virginia to tie them at 14-14. UVA won in the ensuing shoot-out and a berth in the National Intercollegiate Champions.
Both Zenni (who scored nine goals against UVA) and Lavine were selected as tournament All-Stars, and look to be an important part of the team’s ongoing success.
In spite of the overtime loss, the University of Miami was selected to join Western Ontario University, Texas A&M, Cornell, Westmont College and the University of Virginia at the University of Connecticut’s Horsebarn Hill Arena in Storrs, CT April 4-9, for the 2016 National Intercollegiate Championships (NIC).
The University of Miami will play their first game of the tournament on Tuesday, April 5th against Western Ontario University in an effort to reprise the school’s glory days of polo.