Cal Poly Women’s Polo Wins Title in 2016 Western Regionals
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 30, 2016
Contact: AnnMarie Cornejo
805-756-2427; ancornej@calpoly.edu
SAN LUIS OBISPO — The women’s section of Cal Poly’s Polo Team won the regional title at the 2016 Western Regionals and qualified to compete in the Intercollegiate Nationals at the University of Connecticut from April 4-9.
Fiona McBride (animal science) and Jillian Tietje (dairy science) were selected to compete on the all-star women’s team.
The men’s team competed as well but was eliminated in the preliminary round. Theo Anastos (biomedical engineering) was selected to participate on the all-star men’s team.
In addition, the team’s horses won Best Playing String, and Trompo, a chestnut gelding, was selected as the Best Playing Pony.
The Cal Poly team includes five men and 10 women — students from throughout the university. The women and men compete separately.
The team has been working since September to prepare for the national competition. At the nationals, it will compete against Cornell University in the first round April 6.
“From the day the players stepped on campus, their goal was to compete at nationals — and win,” said Coach Megan Judge. “They are a freshman team, so my hope is that they play smart, learn from their experiences, and continue to excel.”
The Cal Poly Polo Team has been active on campus for nearly 40 years, ranking as regional champions 10 of those years.
About Coach Megan Judge
Megan Carter Judge is owns and manages the Central Coast Polo Club in San Luis Obispo. Judge and her associates started the club in 2002. She is a U.S. Polo Association-certified arena polo umpire and instructor and has been coaching for more than 20 years. Judge graduated from Cal Poly with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agribusiness. While a student, she competed on the university’s intercollegiate polo team from 1995-99 and was a member of the All-West All-Star team all four years. She was also a member of the Western Regional Championship teams in 1996 and 1999.
About Cal Poly’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences
Cal Poly is a nationally ranked, comprehensive polytechnic university. The university’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences is comprised of expert faculty members who take pride in their ability to transform academically motivated students into innovative professionals ready to solve the complex challenges associated with feeding the world in sustainable ways. Students have access to state-of-the-art laboratories, including ranch land, orchards, vineyards and forests, all of which provide the basis for Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing methodology. It is the fifth-largest college of agriculture in the country, with 4,000 undergraduate students.
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