Polo Team Rides High After Falling in Finals

For the second time in five years, the Westmont Men’s Polo Team finished second in the U.S. Polo Association Intercollegiate Polo Championships, falling to the University of Virginia 17-23 on April 22 at Cornell University in New York. The Warriors beat Colorado State University 23-18 on April 18 and the University of Connecticut 22-13 on April 20 to advance to the finals against the Cavaliers.

“They are a model American team of true gentlemen with amazing athletic prowess,” says coach John Westley of Santa Barbara Polo School. “It’s not so bad to be the second best college team in the U.S.”

Warriors Patrick and Wiley Uretz of Malibu were named to the four-member U.S.P.A. All-Star Polo Team. Wiley also won the Sportsmanship Award for the tournament. This year’s team included sophomores David Samaniego of Rancho Santa Fe and Ky Keobele of Saint Paul, Minn.

The Warriors won the U.S.P.A. Western Regional Intercollegiate Tournament for the second consecutive year on April 1. Westmont won the Western Regionals three years in a row from 2007-2009 and nearly won a national championship in 2007, losing 12-8 to Texas A&M in the finals.

Polo became a club sport on campus 12 years ago, but students were unable to field a team until seven years ago. The team practices with Westley at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club and plays games on weekends, riding horses on loan from the Santa Barbara Youth Polo Association.