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October 2021 Polo Players' Edition- Teams Announced
Teams Announced
NYTS Championship Taking Place in Chicago
By Hayley Heatley
The National Youth Tournament Series National Championship, hosted by the historic Oak Brook Polo Club and the Chicago Polo Association in Illinois, features four teams competing for both the NYTS National Championship Cecil Smith Cup and the NYTS Girls’ Championship.
As the NYTS program has grown over the past eight years, NYTS Chair Chrys Beal set a goal to introduce and expand a girls’ division. The USPA was proud to host four girls’ teams at the championship level this year. Open teams were paired with a Girls’ team for the week and attended team meetings and each other’s games to further promote camaraderie and increase coaching and learning time.
The 2020 NYTS Championship featured a rematch between the Florida region and reigning 2019 champions, the Eastern region. Florida secured early control of the game and raised the Cecil Smith Cup in its home region with a 10½-4 victory.
At press time, the NYTS National Championship semifinal games were being held Sept. 10, at Arranmore Polo Club in Oswego, and Las Brisas Polo Club in Elgin, with the final on Sept. 12 at Oak Brook Polo Club in Oak Brook.
National Championship Team Western
Riley Jordan, .5 Eldorado.
Piers Bossom, .5 Will Rogers.
Will Schneider, -.5 Black Diamond.
Quinn Kyle, 0 Eldorado.
Coach: Ulysses Escapite
National Championship Team Central
Grace Mudra, 0 Arranmore.
Will Mudra, -.5 Arranmore.
Lily Lequerica, 0 Houston.
Lance Stefanakis, 1 Houston.
Coach: Patrick Uretz
National Championship Team Eastern
Sophie Grant, 1 Aiken.
Landen Daniels, .5 Myopia.
Winston Painter, 1 Gardnertown.
Aiden Meeker, .5 Crestview.
Coach: Tiger Kneece
National Championship Team Wild Card
Vlad Tarashansky, 0 Meadowbrook.
Taylor Palacios, 0 Spa City.
Josh Escapite, 0 Aiken.
Daniel Miranda, 0 Maui.
Coach: Tomy Alberdi
The Open division was comprised of four teams: Eastern, Central, Western and this year, the fourth team included four players selected based on handicap and eligibility to create a wild card team. Among this year’s competition was active Team USPA member Winston Painter, representing the Eastern region. The results will be in next month’s issue.
Established in 2013, the NYTS program provides outdoor clubs the framework for hosting USPAsanctioned tournaments. Players age 19 and under holding a minimum -1 goal handicap are eligible to participate, allowing youth players the opportunity to compete against their peers. A unique and crucial step in developing a young player, the program instills valuable lessons about being a team player, while improving a participant’s polo game.
Girls’ Teams (Woman’s Handicaps)
Pink
Reagan Leitner, 3 Aiken.
Madison Jordan, 2 Maryland.
Kelsey Bray, 1 St. Louis.
Grace Fleishmann, 2 Maryland.
Coach: Ulysses Escapite
Yellow
Gracie Brown, 3 Bluewater Creek.
Sunny Diller, 3 Maui.
Sophia DeAngelis, 1 Yale.
Brianna Jordan, 1 Maryland.
Coach: Patrick Uretz
Blue
Robyn Leitner, 3 Aiken.
Taylor Olcott, 2 Central Coast.
Maya Miller, 2 Maui.
Caroline Mooney, 1 Franklin Polo Academy.
Coach: Tomy Alberdi
Purple
Summer Kneece, 3 Aiken.
Caroline Matthews, 2 Sutter Buttes.
Saralyn Painter, 0 Gardnertown.
Elise Pardue, 2 Empire.
Coach: Tiger Kneece
At each qualifier, NYTS all-stars are named for their exceptional horsemanship, sportsmanship and skill, both on and off the field. Players nominated as all-stars are eligible for selection in their respective zones for the National Championship Cecil Smith Cup and NYTS Girls’ Championship.
