On Sunday, April 15, Maryland Polo Club (Abbie Grant, Maddie Grant, Catie Stueck/Sophie Grant and Coach Kelly Wells) defeated Central Coast Polo Club (Cassidy Wood, Petra Teixiera, Taylor Olcott and Coach Megan Judge) 26-4 to claim the 2018 USPA Girls’ National Interscholastic Championship title at the Virginia Polo Center in Charlottesville, Virginia
Maryland headed into the tournament with a strong record as the number one seed. In the first semifinal of the tournament, they faced Hillside Farm Polo Club and took a 28-5 win. The second semifinal match pitched Coast Polo Club against Cornell Polo Club with Central Coast coming out victors, 15-7.
The 2018 win for Maryland is the fourth title in five years for the organization. Wells reflected on her team this season: “My girls were pretty fantastic! They are one of the strongest girl’s teams I’ve ever had the opportunity to coach. They are pretty special and all contributed to the win. They rode the horses really well and worked together as a team. I’m extremely proud of them.”
Champions Maddie Grant and Sophie Grant plus runner-up Cassidy Wood and Hillside Farm Polo Club’s Emma Sbragia were awarded as All-Stars. Hillside PC’s Sydney Weise received the Sportsmanship Prize. And Sparkles, owned by Virginia Polo Inc., was chosen as Best Playing Pony.
Courtesy: USPA