DIVISION II MEN'S NATIONAL INTERCOLLEGIATE CHAMPIONSHIP
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Division II Men’s National Intercollegiate Championship tournament is part of the United States Polo Association's Intercollegiate/Interscholastic (I/I) polo program, which is dedicated to growing the sport by providing maximum exposure, recruiting collegiate and scholastic institutions, coordinating activities, and organizing competition. Supporting this mission, the I/I program has experienced tremendous growth in recent years.
Developed from a targeted initiative to grow collegiate polo, the USPA and I/I leadership groups divided the intercollegiate system into Division I and Division II polo, leading to an increase in the number of emerging teams competing in spring tournaments and the number of competitive games at every level.
Division assignments are based on the strength of teams as determined by rosters, a team’s regular season scores, and the strength of their schedule. In addition, women’s and men’s teams from the same school are not be required to play in the same division, allowing teams to participate at an appropriate level. Teams are able to move back and forth between the divisions from year to year to accommodate for student matriculation and annual roster changes.
In a competitive and successful inaugural season, the 2022 Division II Men’s National Intercollegiate Championship hosted by Legends Polo Club in Kaufman, Texas, showcased Babson College (Beto Aguilar, Austin Hamilton, Leo Borja, Alt. Frederick Borja, Alt. John Hamilton, Alt. Diego Ante) against Skidmore College (Justin Hall, Finnian O’Malia, Ben Bruce). Babson College’s tailored approach and offensive firepower ultimately delivered the title 13-8. Read article here.
Shifting to the Golden State, this year's edition of the Division II Men's National Intercollegiate Championship will be hosted by Central Coast Polo Club (Los Osos, California) and will feature four competitive teams, including Babson College (Northeastern Regional Champions) returning to defend their title. University of Kentucky (Southeastern Champions) will join the competition alongside Texas Tech University (Central Regional Champions).
Determining the final spot in the Division II Men's National Intercollegiate Championship, California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) and Stanford University (Stanford) will play the Western Intercollegiate DII Regional final on Wednesday, March 29 at Central Coast Polo Club, with the winner advancing into the National Championship.
Photo: 2022 Division II Men's National Intercollegiate Championship Winners: Babson College - Leo Borja, Beto Aguilar, Austin Hamilton. Pictured with Mark Tashjian. ©David Murrell
