Showcasing the best of the best in college polo, the Men’s and Women’s National Intercollegiate Championship tournaments are set to take place this week, April 18-22, at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. The annual events are organized by the U.S. Polo Association (USPA), the sport’s national governing body, and feature top university polo programs that have made their way to the big event through various preliminary and regional tournaments.
Back to defend their title of National Champion this year are the Cornell Women and UVA Men. The two schools played in the championship of both the men’s and women’s tournaments last year and are all featured again in this year’s event. The teams will face some strong competition from a number of talented programs from across the country including UConn, Texas A&M, Southern Methodist, Westmont, Colorado State and Cal Poly.
EVENT SCHEDULE:
Wednesday, April 18th
12 PM Game 1: UVA Women vs. Texas A&M Women
2 PM Game 2: Southern Methodist Men vs. Cornell Men
4 PM Game 3: Westmont Men vs. Colorado State Men
Friday, April 20th
12 PM Game 4: Cornell Women vs. Cal Poly Women
2 PM Game 5: UVA Men vs. Winner of Game 2
4 PM Game 6: UConn Men vs. Winner of Game 3
Sunday, April 22nd
10 AM Women’s Final – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 4
12 PM Men’s Final – Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6
* Followed by the Tournament Awards Ceremony
“The national tournament is the culmination of what has been a thrilling intercollegiate polo season this year,” said Kim Syme, Intercollegiate/Interscholastic Program Director. “All the teams involved earned their way to the Championship and are a great representation of the sport’s expanding popularity and accessibility for young players in this country.”
The National Intercollegiate Championship tournament is part of the USPA’s Intercollegiate/Interscholastic (I/I) polo program, which is dedicated to growing the sport of polo with players and fans. As seen in a recent in-depth feature on “60 Minutes” surrounding polo, the sport is experiencing resurgence in the U.S. thanks to passionate ambassadors, top-notch training programs and facilities for players and horses to go along with the game’s excitement and allure. Fueling polo’s growth are flourishing programs like I/I polo, Regional Polo Centers, the Team USPA development program and local clubs across the country that provide schools and lessons.
The USPA will feature an online broadcast of the National Intercollegiate Championship tournament women’s finals at 10 a.m. ET and men’s finals at 12 p.m. ET on April 22. During the afternoon at 4 p.m. ET, the USPA will also broadcast the Nespresso U.S. Open Polo Championship®, America’s biggest pro-am polo event. Polo players and fans are encouraged to visit www.polotv.us to catch all the action live during this high-definition, easy-to-access broadcast.
For more information on polo in the U.S., or to get in on the action and schedule a lesson, visit www.uspolo.org.