Polo Club Rides Off With Western Title

March 19th, 2008

Polo TeamThe Westmont Men’s Club Polo Team has repeated as champions of the U.S. Polo Association Western Regionals at the Santa Barbara Polo Club. Westmont beat UC Davis 14-10, March 9, and advances to the USPA National Intercollegiate Championships in Lexington, Ky., April 1-5.

The team nearly succeeded in its unexpected quest for a national championship last year, losing 12-8 to Texas A&M in the finals at the Kentucky Horse Park.

This year’s team includes returning players Collin White, a sophomore from Napa, and Alex de La Torre Bueno, a sophomore from Ojai. Josh Decker-Trinidad, a freshman from Florida, replaced Ryan Cronin-Prather, who graduated last year.

John Westley, owner of the Santa Barbara Polo School, coaches the team.

Polo became a club sport on campus seven years ago, but students were unable to field a team two years ago. The team practices with Westley Tuesday through Saturday at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club and plays games on Sundays, riding horses on loan from the Santa Barbara International Polo Training Center.