GIRLS' NATIONAL INTERSCHOLASTIC CHAMPIONSHIP
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Established in 1991, the Girls' National Interscholastic Championship (GNIS) is part of the United States Polo Association's Intercollegiate/Interscholastic (I/I) polo program, which is dedicated to growing the sport by providing exposure, coordinating activities, recruiting collegiate and scholastic institutions and providing organized competition at regional and national levels with an emphasis on sportsmanship, fairness and safety.
In 2019, Maryland Polo Club defeated Houston A at Brookshire Polo Club (Brookshire, Texas) to claim the championship title for the second consecutive year. The Girls' National Interscholastic Championship returned in 2021 after it was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
After an unconventional 2021 Intercollegiate/Interscholastic (I/I) season where the traditional preliminary and regional tournaments were unable to be hosted due to local and state COVID-19 restrictions on Youth Sports, the I/I program offered clubs USPA I/I Circuit Level events to host throughout the season. With no regular regional format for teams to qualify for nationals, the National Host Tournament Committee (NHTC) opted to use a wildcard system in selecting teams to advance. The Committee used results from both Circuit Level I/I Challenge Cups as well as any games qualified teams played from September 1 through April 18 to be used in consideration. In addition, the Committee welcomed teams to submit game footage for review. The NHTC, select umpires and committee members poured over hours of video, hundreds of scoresheets, and rosters to make their selection.
Hosted by New Bridge Polo & Country Club (Aiken, South Carolina) in 2021, number one seed Aiken Polo Club (Summer Kneece, Sophie Grant, Robyn Leitner, Reagan Leitner) and two-time defending champions Maryland Polo Club (Kylie Beard, Sierra Blevins, Jordan Peterson) entered the Girls’ National Interscholastic Championship final with confidence. Putting Maryland on the defensive from the first chukker, Aiken extended their lead throughout the game to claim their first national championship win 17-5.
Returning to Brookshire Polo Club for the first time since 2019, five teams will be vying for the national championship including defending champions Aiken Polo Club, Houston Polo Club, Yale Polo Club, Eldorado Polo Club and Maryland Polo Club, who will look to add their interscholastic club name to the heralded trophy for a tenth time.
2021 Girls' National Interscholastic Champions: Aiken Polo Club - Sophie Grant, Summer Kneece, Reagan Leitner, Robyn Leitner. ©Larry Johnson
