PERFECT FIT

The global, sport-inspired lifestyle brand U.S. Polo Assn. provided kits for the Collegiate Polo Teams for the 2023 polo season, marking five years of its Collegiate partnership programme

As the of cial brand of the United States Polo Association (USPA), the U.S. Polo Assn. was named as one of the top ve sports licensors globally in 2022, with worldwide distribution in more than 190 countries. It also continued to support the annual nationwide Collegiate Partnership Program (CPP) for the 2023 Collegiate Polo Season, dressing competitive collegiate polo players for the fth consecutive year.

A total of 29 colleges signed up to participate in this year’s CPP, representing 47 collegiate teams with 28 women’s and 19 men’s teams. Enrolment for the sports enrichment programme was open to all colleges and universities with a USPAsanctioned polo team.

All participating student athletes were kitted out with complete U.S. Polo Assn. game attire comprising customised performance team jerseys, white performance pants, polo shirts, caps and equipment gear bags. A monetary donation was also given to the teams, which could be used for travel or other expenses.

For the rst time, a USPA Pro item was donated to all student athletes, designed in collaboration with professional polo players.

Sanctioned by the USPA, collegiate polo teams competed in the autumn and spring, with the of cial season beginning September 2022 and running through to April 2023. This season concluded with the National Intercollegiate Championship (NIC) hosted at the Virginia Polo Center in Charlottesville, VA, from April 10-15, 2023. Ahead of the men’s and women’s nals on 15 April, J Michael Prince, president and CEO of USPA Global Licensing, commented:

‘U.S. Polo Assn. is proud to continue our support of student athletes across the country through our Collegiate Partnership Program, because these athletes are the future of the game. We want to continue growing and building our authentic connection to the sport of polo, and the Collegiate Partnership Program, now in its fth year, is one of our most rewarding programs.’

An exciting new addition for student athletes this season was the College Polo Tour, an exchange programme between America and Argentina that supported 21 collegiate polo players from Yale University, Harvard University, Cornell University and Georgetown University, alongside other Argentinean polo players on a 7-day trip to Argentina. This exciting opportunity gave collegiate players the chance to compete in both grass polo and arena polo, have a tour of the renowned Ellerstina Polo Club, and attend one of the heart-stopping Argentine Polo Open semi- nals.

ALL PARTICIPATING STUDENT ATHLETES WERE KITTED OUT WITH U.S. POLO ASSN. GAME ATTIRE

The nal day of competition saw women’s teams Texas A&M University (Cara Kennedy, Josie Dorsey, Olivia Reynolds) face reigning champions University of Virginia (Katie De ne, Elizabeth “Liz” Owens, Alana Benz, Kellie Booth). Hosted by Virginia Polo Inc, the University of Virginia had the home advantage, but Texas A&M University’s ability to remain calm under pressure led them to the podium.

The men’s nal brought the Championship to an explosive close. Defending champions University of Virginia (Vlad Tarashansky, Jim Deal, Parker Pearce, Makhdum “Mak” Mourad Shah) battled 2022 runners-up University of North Texas (UNT) (Vance Miller III, John Dencker, Andrew Scott, Vaughn Miller Jr., Niklaus Felhaber), with UNT coming out on top to claim the Division I Men’s title.

Opposite: 2023 Division I Women’s National Intercollegiate champions. From left: Texas A&M University – coach Mike McCleary, Olivia Reynolds, Cara Kennedy, Josie Dorsey. This page: 2023 Division I Men’s National Intercollegiate champions. University of North Texas – Niklaus Felhaber, Vaughn Miller Jr, coach Vaughn Miller Snr, Vance Miller, Andrew Scott, John Dencker