DIVISION II WOMEN'S NATIONAL INTERCOLLEGIATE CHAMPIONSHIP
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The USPA Division II Women’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.
For as long as it has existed, college coaches and supporters of the Intercollegiate/Interscholastic Program have debated ways to grow collegiate polo. While not an unfamiliar concept to college sports enthusiasts, the USPA and I/I leadership groups agreed to split the intercollegiate system into Division I and Division II polo, which developed out of the focus to increase the number of emerging teams competing in spring tournaments and the number of competitive games at every level.
Following the 2021 fall season, the National Host Tournament Committee (NHTC) determined Division assignments based on the strength of teams as determined by rosters, a team’s regular season scores, and the strength of their schedule. Opinions were also pulled from committee members, coaches, umpires, managers, and staff to make the most accurate placement of teams. In addition, women’s and men’s teams from the same school will not be required to play in the same division, allowing teams to participate at an appropriate level. Teams will be 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, six teams will compete for the Division II Women’s National Intercollegiate Championship at Legends Polo Club in Kaufman, Texas, including University of Connecticut (UConn), Texas Tech University, Skidmore, University of California Davis, Southern Methodist University (SMU) and Michigan State.
