DIVISION II WOMEN'S NATIONAL INTERCOLLEGIATE CHAMPIONSHIP
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The 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.
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 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.
First played in 2022, at Legends Polo Club in Kaufman, Texas, University of Connecticut (Kylie Dalton, Rylyn Koger, Elizabeth Leudesdorff, Toni Linn Moore, Madison Robicheau) claimed the inaugural title 15-11 over Texas Tech University.
Relocating to Central Coast Polo Club in Los Osos, California, in 2023, defending champions University of Connecticut (Kylie Dalton, Toni Moore, Madison Robicheau, Ruby Scott, Elizabeth Leudesdorff, Evelyn Doran) met a tenacious California Polytechnic State University (Camila Mcfall, Nicole Bailey, Caroline Mathews, Sofie Rosenquist, Anna Mendez). Trailing by four goals at halftime, Cal Poly mustered every bit of strength and resilience to ignite a seven-goal second half, ultimately edging out the defending champions 9-8. Read article here.
Proudly returning to Central Coast Polo Club, this year's edition will crown a new champion, with Regional winners Colorado State University (Central), Cornell University (Northeastern), Grossmont College (Western) and University of Wisconsin-Madison (Southeastern) battling alongside Wildcard entry Texas Tech University for their first Division II Women's National Intercollegiate Championship title.
Photo: 2023 Division II Women's National Intercollegiate Championship Winners: California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) - Nicole Bailey, Camila Mcfall, Caroline Mathews, Coach Megan Judge, Anna Mendez, Sofie Rosenquist. ©Kaile Roos
