MAY 2022 THE RIDER /47


Houston Polo Club Wrangles Their First Open National Interscholastic Championship Title


“Because of that we


were even more deter- mined to win this year. We dedicated ourselves to working harder, as a team and as individuals. It took waking up a few hours ear- lier every day, practicing a few more times every week and having a collec- tive mission to win a Na- tional Championship.” - Lance Stefanakis, on Houston Polo Club’s 2021 Open National Inter- scholastic Championship Final loss On Sunday, March 20,


the 2022 Open National Interscholastic Champi-


teammate Mudra followed suit to score out of the throw in. Keeping Aiken scoreless, Stefanakis rounded out the first chukker converting a Penalty 3 to place Houston ahead 3-0. Falling short in the


2021 finals to Gardner- town Polo Club, Ste- fanakis emphasized the importance of getting off to an early lead, “last year we fought in a short time and lost in the last chukker. Because of that we were even more determined to win this year. We dedi- cated ourselves to working


Penalty 2. Meeker and Jor- dan’s strong play held Houston to just one goal from the field and one from the penalty line, to end the chukker with a 7-4 Houston lead. Holding a slim three-


goal lead entering the final chukker, Lequerica ex- pressed “I felt a little nerv- ous towards the end, but I knew we could pull it out, we just needed to avoid fouling.” With help from a pony


goal, Houston ramped up their lead to four, but Aiken refused to back down. Jordan, intent on


been trying to win a na- tional title for a while now, it means a lot to my team and coach to win on home turf. I’m very blessed to have people I have around me constantly motivating me and my team.” An elated Altic added, “it was amazing. To be a part of Houston Polo Club’s first National Championship will live with me forever!” A celebratory Bhatia


noted the hard work and close bond of his Houston teammates, “this is truly a moment we worked for. I want to thank Lance, the best player I’ve ever played with, Will the best teammate ever, and Joe Bob, the most talented player I’ve ever seen. We worked constantly to be- come champions and we finally did it!” All-Stars in the Open


Houston Polo Club's Will Mudra takes the ball to the goal ©David Murrell


onship Final pitted home- town heroes Houston Polo Club (Joe Bob Lequerica, Will Mudra, Lance Ste- fanakis, Ashvath Bhatia, Judah Altic) against Aiken Polo Club (Madison Jor- dan, Josh Escapite, Aiden Meeker, Lazaro Gorosito) at the Brookshire Polo Club arena (Brookshire, Texas). Each team carry- ing a bye into the semifi- nals, Aiken Polo Club topped Yale Polo Club 14- 10, while Houston Polo Club advanced to their second consecutive finals appearance following a dominant 18-6 victory over Lakeside Polo Club. Meeting for the first


time in the tournament, Houston Polo Club grasped an early three-goal lead, however their second half foul troubles allowed Aiken to remain in con- tention. Maintaining their early lead entering the final chukker, efforts from Mudra and Stefanakis lifted Houston Polo Club to the 10-7 victory to de- liver the club’s first Open National Interscholastic Championship title. “We worked con-


stantly to become champi- ons, and we finally did it!” - Ashvath Batia Stefanakis struck first


for Houston on a booming shot to goal from just in- side the 25-yard line, while


harder, as a team and as in- dividuals.” Stefanakis con- tinued,” It took waking up a few hours earlier every day, practicing a few more times every week and hav- ing a collective mission to win a National Champi- onship.” Riding their own


string in the second, Aiken found their footing offen- sively outscoring their op- ponents 3-2. Jordan carried the ball along the boards and through the corner to get Aiken back in the game, as Escapite scored another two consecutive goals riding his personal mare, Katniss, to tie the match 3-all. In response to Aiken’s positive shift in momentum, Houston’s Le- querica stepped up to keep Aiken’s Meeker off the scoreboard. Combining for two goals in the chukker, teammates Stefanakis and Mudra ended the half 5-3 in favor of Houston. Relaying their strat-


egy in the break, Ste- fanakis noted, “[we wanted to] play our own game and play open. Aiken is very strong with the ball, so we had to be focused on the man.” Mo- tivated to begin the second half, Houston dialed into their defense, however, their zeal got them into foul trouble, with Escapite taking advantage of a


settling the score, knocked in back-to-back goals to cut Aiken’s deficit in half. Mudra answered with a field goal of his own, but Jordan once again capital- ized from the penalty line. Determined not to let a second chance at the title slip away, Lequerica was able to hold off the offen- sive powers of Aiken in the final moments, allow- ing Stefanakis to retaliate on a final goal along the boards, cementing the im- pressive 10-7 champi- onship win. Reflecting on his sixth


goal of the match, Ste- fanakis shared, “I felt like we needed to win every play and act like its [tied] to keep playing hard and not let up. The last goal I scored I felt like we needed to keep going no matter how much we were up by, the score in the arena can change so quick.”


Playing for the title in


front of a home crowd of family, friends and fans was all the more rewarding for Lequerica, “it was very loud when goals were scored or fouls were drawn, it means a lot for me to be here in Houston because my family was able to enjoy the win with me.”


Similarly, Mudra also expressed, “Houston has


National Interscholastic Championship included, Madison Jordan (Aiken Polo Club), Aiden Meeker (Aiken Polo Club), Ethan Bankhead (Lakeside Polo Club) and Lance Ste- fanakis (Houston Polo Club). The Sportsmanship Award was presented to Luke Howe (Yale Polo Club), while Houston’s Will Mudra took home the Horsemanship Award. Aiken Polo Club was


awarded Best Playing String, and Titona (Pistola x Lamborghini), a 10-year- old mare owned by Aiken Polo Club’s Lazaro Goros- ito was presented with Best Playing Pony honors. “She’s from my father’s breeding operation, Fleur de Liz. I think Madison Jordan played her the best overall in the tournament. It was really special for me and my father to get BPP, especially as this was my first ever BPP award,” noted Gorosito. “Winning Best Play-


ing String is a very presti- gious award,” stated Jordan. “The horses are one of the most important factors in the sport. Our string consisted of Aiden Meeker’s (Jasmine, Fabi- ana, Mongha, Lazaro Gorosito’s (Titona) and Josh Escapite’s (Achilles, Katniss,


Secretaria)


ponies.” Named an All-Star in


the tournament, Jordan shared her thoughts on reaching the Open Na- tional


Interscholastic


Championship final, “it was an empowering expe- rience being the only fe- male playing in the open final. Winning the All-Star award is an honor, and I’m very proud to win this award alongside my cap- tain Aiden Meeker. I know we left it all out there, and I wouldn’t have wanted to


Lance Stefanakis following his final goal to cement the victory ©David Murrell


share this experience with anyone other than these three amazing boys.” Fellow All-Star


Meeker took the time to express gratitude for his Aiken Polo teammates, “everyone played their hearts out and gave it their all out there. At the end, I couldn’t help but cry be- cause of how much hard work my team put into get- ting to the finals. Even though we may have not won, I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Keeping in tradition


with the Girls’ National In- terscholastic champion Aiken Polo Club, Hous- ton’s celebration kicked- off with a lucky jump off the dock at Brookshire Polo Club. In their final in- terscholastic tournament, seniors Stefanakis and Bhatia will be graduating from Houston Polo Club’s program. “I look forward to playing intercollegiate in college. My goal is to have a 2-goal handicap by the time I’m 21, and play high-goal polo around the world,” said Bhatia. Shar- ing what he will miss the most about interscholastic polo, Bhatia added, “the family I’ve made here. Not just on the open team, but with the girls’ team. I will also miss Coach Mark


Prinsloo, Shane Rice and all the other pros we prac- ticed with.” Remaining in the


Houston Polo Club pro- gram, Mudra and Lequer- ica are looking forward to defending their title, “it will be hard with Lance leaving,” expressed Le- querica. “I know Will [Mudra] will be back next year, which is great be- cause we’ve played to- gether the past two years. My sister [Lily Lequerica] will also be joining the Open team, so I’m feeling good. I know for sure we have more National Cham- pionships to come in the next four years. We’ll just have to keep putting in the work with many long nights in the arena!”


About the United States Polo Association® The United States


Polo Association was or- ganized and exists for the purposes of promoting the game of polo, coordinating the activities of its Mem- ber Clubs and Registered Players, arranging and su- pervising polo tourna- ments, competitions and games, and providing rules, handicaps, and con- ditions for those tourna- ments, competitions, and games including the safety


and welfare of participants and mounts. Founded in 1890, the USPA is the na- tional governing body for the sport of polo. The USPA is currently com- prised of more than 200 member clubs with thou- sands of individual mem- bers and oversees 40 national tournaments. For more information, please visit uspolo.org.


About Brookshire Polo Club


Established in 2006,


Brookshire Polo Club in Brookshire, Texas, wel- comes players of all levels who are looking for a fam- ily-friendly and casual at- mosphere to share a love of polo, horses and the out- doors. Nestled between the pecan groves are four full size polo fields, one full size covered polo arena, three covered barns, multi- ple outdoor paddocks, a small swimming lake, and a tennis court for recre- ational use. Located just 10 miles


west of Katy, Texas, and 36 miles west of down- town Houston, BPC’s mis- sion is to share their passion for polo with all people in a welcoming en- vironment that promotes polo as a sport and family- friendly lifestyle.


2022 Open National Interscholastic Champions_ Houston Polo Club - Ashvath Bhatia, Lance Stefanakis, Will Mudra, and Judah Altic. Pictured with Coach Mark Prinsloo. ©David Murrell


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