Hosted by Cornell Polo Club in Ithaca New York, the conclusion of the Division II Men’s National Intercollegiate Championship on Sunday, April 13, at the John T. Oxley Equestrian Center pitted Southeastern Region victors University of Kentucky (Alaric Renshaw, Rehan Kumble, Alejandro Puyana) against reigning Division II national titleholders and Northeastern region champions Cornell University (Max Sponer, Christian Finlay, Dylan Tung, Benito Jaramillo, Fin Maroney). Attempting to defend Cornell University’s (Cornell) title on home turf, the Big Red fielded four players, with Finlay and Tung splitting the number two position alongside Sponer and Jaramillo. The University of Kentucky (UK) featured a newcomer in Renshaw, who began riding just four months ago and rounded out its lineup with the experience of Kumble and Puyana. Pouncing early, the Wildcats seized control and never looked back. Withstanding second half pressure, the team in white and blue held off Cornell’s rally to secure the University of Kentucky’s first Division II Men’s National Intercollegiate Championship trophy.
Assembling five collegiate teams from across the country, the tournament began on Wednesday, April 9, featuring quarterfinal play between Central Region victors Texas Tech University (Camden Kolb, Cole Faires, Grayson Price, Isaiah Andrade) and Western Region winners California Polytechnic State University (Jack Dresick, Graham Weaver, Oliver Helton, Judah Braman). In the fourth chukker, a two-pointer from Cal Poly’s Dresick electrified the crowd, but the duo of Faires and Price proved unstoppable, as Texas Tech galloped away with a 26-6 victory.
Kicking off the semifinals, UK defeated At-Large Selection Babson College (Leonardo Borja, Fernando Baldocchi, Joaquin Caicedo). A thrilling match with three two-pointers, the phenomenal chemistry between UK’s Puyana and Kumble delivered a 14-8 win. Concluding semifinal play, Cornell topped Texas Tech. Splitting Kolb and Andrade in the rotation, Texas Tech leaned on the accuracy of Price’s penalty shooting to keep the Texans in contention. Following a standout seven-goal second chukker, Cornell steadily added to its lead to take the match 21-7.
A fast and furious final, Jaramillo ignited the scoring for Cornell straight out of the first throw-in. Wasting no time, a drive from Kumble promptly set the ferocious offensive tone for UK. Combined, the two teams scored eight goals in the first chukker, as UK jumped out to a commanding 6-2 lead in the high-scoring affair. Ending the first half with confidence, back-to-back two-pointers from UK’s Puyana gave the Wildcats a commanding 12-2 lead.
Capitalizing on penalties in the third chukker, Cornell battled back led by the efforts of Jaramillo. Gaining momentum for the team in red, a pair of two-pointers from Sponer and Jaramillo sent the home crowd to its feet. Despite outscoring UK 11-5 in the second half, Cornell’s comeback attempt was not enough to overcome Puyana and Rehan’s early dominance, as UK leaned on its first half firepower to claim the 17-13 triumph.
All-Stars were awarded to Alejandro Puyana (University of Kentucky), Benito Jaramillo (Cornell University), Grayson Price (Texas Tech University) and Rehan Kumble (University of Kentucky). The Clyde C. Waddell Jr. Memorial Sportsmanship Award was presented to California Polytechnic State University’s Jack Dresick for his continued positive attitude, fairness and support for his peers in and out of the arena. In addition to his All-Star honor, Benito Jaramillo earned the Horsemanship Award for his outstanding and consistent demonstration of riding ability and attention to equine care throughout the competition. Best Playing String was presented to Kingswood – Babson College String. Rounding out the equine awards, Best Turned-Out String honors were presented to Cornell Polo, who also boasted the Best Playing Pony Dominga, owned by Tony Condo.
All photos courtesy of ©Kaile Roos Photography.