The Virginia Polo teams have again earned their spots at the Division I National Intercollegiate Championship tournament.
The Women’s Team will play in the Semi Finals Thursday March 17th at 3 PM against the winner of the DI Qualifier Game. The Men’s Team will play in the Semi Finals Friday March 18th at 10 AM against the University of North Texas (UNT).
The 2025 Division I National Intercollegiate Championships will be hosted by the DFW Polo Association at the Prestonwood arena in Oak Point, Texas.
The USPA will live stream the semifinals and finals on the USPA Polo Network. Click here for more information on the USPA's live streaming.
Here are the UVA student players who will represent Virginia Polo this year and the players who’ve helped them prepare. Each one has worked countless hours at the barn keeping the ponies fit, fed, and the barn mucked, along with balancing the rigors of a full course load at the challenging University of Virginia.
The UVA women's team is led this year by fourth year Team Captain Alana Benz. This will be her fourth year playing for UVA in the National Championship tournament. Alana made her impressive debut in the tournament as a first year on the 2022 National Champion team and has captained the UVA women’s team for two years.
Mackenzie Craig is a third year student who began her passion for polo at Virginia Polo in 2019 at an introductory polo camp and was a player at our summer interscholastic clinics. Last year she joined varsity, she is the previous club treasurer, and has been elected Co-President of the club for two years. Along with playing on the varsity team and club presidency, she leads the Boot Camp program with Assistant Coach & Barn Manager Abbie Grant. Their fall Boot Camp was hugely successful with the highest number of players joining the club ever.
Kelsey Bray is a first year student from Illinois. Previously a leader on her interscholastic team at the Saint Louis Polo Club, Kelsey first came to Virginia Polo for the interscholastic summer clinics. She will be playing in her first National Intercollegiate Championship tournament this year.
Caroline Blang is a fourth year student who joined the varsity team this fall after only starting to play polo one year earlier in the Virginia Polo program. Her hard work and dedication paid off as she earned a spot on the competing team.
Nora Gaudion is a third year student who joined the varsity team this year. She concurrently is Captain of the Club Team and continues to schedule and plan matches for the players. Passionate about polo, she helps guide the newer players in the club as they play their first matches against visiting schools and is actively involved in the maintenance of the club ponies.
Rory Knox (not pictured), as a PVCC student and competitive player Rory has been an essential part of the team’s preparation. She practices with the team, shares the horse responsibilities, and we look forward to her transfer to UVA.
The UVA men's team is led this year by Team Captain Vlad Tarashansky. This will be Vlad's fourth year playing in the National Championships for UVA, he was also a member of the 2022 winning team. He has Co-Presidented the club with Mackenzie Craig for the past two years.
Mak Mourad is a third year and will be playing in his third NIC tournament for UVA. An experienced polo player from Pakistan, Mak discovered the Polo Club at the Student Activities Fair as a 1st year and we are so happy he did!
Gaston Gomez is a second year from Connecticut. He experienced I/I polo while playing with the Yale interscholastic team, this is his second year playing for UVA in the National tournament.
Iago Masias is a first year player from Peru. He grew up playing polo with his family, and this will be his first National Intercollegiate tournament.
James Grayken is a third year from London, England. He previously played polo in Wellington, FL and started playing at Guards Polo Club in England. This will be his second NIC tournament.
Brian Salmon is a second year from Colorado. Brian played polo in Denver and first came to Virginia Polo for an interscholastic clinic. This is his first year with the Men’s Team.
Thank you to the many alumni whose time, talent, and treasure make these students’ polo experiences possible!
We thank you for your support and the opportunities it creates for students.