Northern Trust Captures Ninth Annual Women’s Championship Tournament Title; Kristy Outhier Named MVP
The future of women’s polo never looked better.
In front of a packed house at windswept Grand Champions Polo Club, Northern Trust (Claire Donnelly, Kristy Outhier, Maureen Brennan, Belinda Brody) defeated Catena USA (Neku Atawodi, Hazel Jackson, Tiffany Busch, Courtney Asdourian), 7-4, Saturday to win the ninth annual Women’s Championship Tournament.
The two evenly-matched high goal teams battled to a 4-4 halftime before Northern Trust outscored Catena USA, 3-0, in the third chukker and held them scoreless in the fourth to clinch the win.
“We came out really strong in the first chukker, we planned to keep it simple,” Outhier said. “The second chukker we got a little excited, everyone was trying to do too many things. In the third chukker we just went back to our set plays, kept it simple and it just came.”
Outhier of Utopia, Texas, one of the nation’s top female polo players, was named Most Valuable Player after scoring a game-high five goals and playing well defensively.
“This was huge,” Outhier said. “Maureen Brennan prepared all year for this. Just the little things we did from horses to commitments made long ago. The sweat and tears we put into it meant so much to win.
“The fields that Marc and Melissa Ganzi provided were incredible,” Outhier said. “That is what takes things to a different level. Long ago women’s polo was always put in the back pasture, there was never room for it.
“It’s neat that it’s celebrated now and treated well. The horse quality that came was excellent. The sportsmanship on the field was excellent. There were no excuses for not playing great polo.”
Rated at 7 goals, Outhier was the highest ranked player in the tournament. Outhier, her daughter and their ponies made the road trip from Texas to compete in the tournament.
It was a proud moment for Outhier playing in front of her daughter Madi, an 11-year-old rodeo star who competed in the second annual WCT Junior Invitational after her mother’s championship game.
“It was awesome to have her here,” Outhier said. “She is a great rider but hasn’t had a whole lot of polo yet. We’re going to get her going in it now. We’re both real proud to be in this company. It was inspiring to see the 10-goal players coaching their daughters.”
The record 10-team field featured several international players including Brits Claire Donnelly and Hazel Jackson and Nigerian Neku Atawodi, the first African woman pro polo player.
The only women’s polo event of its kind and largest polo league in the world made history with the use of official women’s handicaps pioneered by WCT founder Sunny Hale and implemented by the U.S. Polo Association, the sport’s national governing body.
In other WCT finals:
LBL Polo (Alison Patricelli, Julia Steiner, Belinda Brody, Courtney Asdourian) won the medium goal (10-14) title with an 11-4 victory over La Mariposa (Anja Jacobs, Marissa Wells, Kelly Wells and Jolie Liston). Steiner was named Most Valuable Player after scoring a game-high six goals. Liston’s horse Cookie was named Best Playing Pony. Marissa Wells scored three goals for La Mariposa.
Escue Polo (CoCo Smith, Erika Lipton, Marissa Wells, Kelly Wells) won the low goal (6-8) tournament with an 8-4 victory over American Polo Horse (Danielle Sciaretta, Kirstie Allen, Lauren Biddle, Slaney O’Hanlen). Marissa Wells scored a team-high four goals and was named MVP. Allen’s pony Clay was Best Playing Pony. Biddle scored all four of her team’s goals.
In the second annual WCT Junior Invitational, the Diamonds, coached by Coca-Cola’s Gillian Johnston (Hope Arellano, Mia Cambiaso, Olivia Merlos, Malia Bryan) avenged last year’s 6-5 loss with an impressive 7-0 shutout of the Sapphires, coached by 9-goaler Sunny Hale (Allie Azzaro, Madi Outhier, Jacqui Casey, Alyssa Trancilla, Riley Ganzi).
Cambiaso was named Most Valuable Player and Rigoletto, ridden by Riley Ganzi, was named Best Playing Pony. Arellano led scoring with four goals, Cambiaso had two goals and Merlos added one.
“Wait until next year,” Hale said with a smile. “Gillian’s horses had diamonds painted on their rumps, they had sparkles, they had embroidered hats. Julio Arellano and Sebastian Merlos were mallet boys. Basically, we are going to have to step up and we will be ready for them next year.
“I love to see them get together that young, to build those friendships now in polo and get to see the older girls play at that level gives them something to inspire to,” Hale said.
Brennan, who is six-for-six in WCT final wins, was honored by Hale and WCT for hosting the inaugural tournament in 2005.
“Since I literally begged, borrowed and stole anything I could to put two teams on the field for that first qualifier, people are now starting to get it, you produce and create your own organized team, you make the calls and see who’s out there,” Brennan said.
“The WCT has grown massively,” Brennan said. “If you don’t have the next level what’s the point? The junior girls are amazing. We have that role model image for them now.”
Immediately after the game, Brennan and her teammates rode over to the Northern Trust tent in appreciation to the support of the WCT’s first corporate team sponsor. “We heard you cheering, thank you everyone,” Brennan told them.
“We had a great cocktail reception for them last night and everyone was impressed by our passion,” Brennan said. “Women play pretty much out of pure passion because it’s not a big income winner. We are out there to help each other. It’s like a bonding sorority, it’s inspiring.”
Hale, the first woman in U.S. history to win the U.S. Open with Outback in 2000, was impressed by the caliber of play in the women’s finals and junior invitational.
“The rankings gave us the ability to spread it out zero to ten,” Hale said. “You could see so much difference in the players and that really just added such a bonus to this tournament because we had three levels, high, medium and low which put a really positive stamp on things.
“This was over the top this year,” Hale said. “The core concept of the WCT is new friendships, good polo, shared passion and I think we did that today. Each year it’s going to get better and better especially being here at Grand Champions with the fields they have.”
Women’s polo is the largest growing sector in polo buoyed by the WCT series founded in 2005 to help consolidate women’s polo and promote high quality competition throughout the world including Malaysia and Dubai.
“This was the vision I had,” Hale said. “It takes hard work but when you see the puzzle pieces fall together and it continues to grow, the momentum is unbelievable.”
Grand Champions Polo Club owners Marc and Melissa Ganzi hosted the four-day event. PoloNow Network live-streamed the women’s final for the first time in WCT history.
For game recaps, news, features and photos of Grand Champions Polo Club-related eventsLive, go to www.grandchampionspoloclub.org.
Game video and live webcasts can also be seen at PoloNow Network at http://www.polonow.tv/.
2014 HIGH GOAL SEASON
MARCH 30-APRIL 20: 110th Maserati U.S. Open Polo Championships: SUNDAY: Quarterfinals, Audi vs. Crab Orchard, noon, Field 2; Lechuza Caracas vs. Coca-Cola, 3 p.m., Field 1; WEDNESDAY: Semifinals; EASTER SUNDAY: Hall of Fame Cup Final, U.S. Open final.
GRAND CHAMPIONS AT PALM BEACH POLO 2014 TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE (HOTLINE 561-373-0073)
APRIL: USPA National President’s Cup 8-Goal; Las Acacias (5-goal); Museum of Polo & Hall of Fame Challenge Cup (12-goal); John T. Oxley Memorial Trophy (16-goal).
USPA NATIONAL PRESIDENT’S CUP 8-GOAL
TUESDAY: Goose Creek vs. Casablanca, 4 p.m.; SATURDAY: FINAL, Grand Champions at PB Polo, Field 2, 3 p.m.
LAS ACACIAS CUP 5-GOAL
SUNDAY: Elegante/Tuffrider at Equuleus, 10 a.m.; Ganaraska at Pony Express, 11:30 a.m.; SATURDAY: Championship final, 10 a.m.; Handicap Final, 11:30 a.m.
GRAND CHAMPIONS 2014 SPRING SCHEDULE (561-644-5050)
APRIL 17-19: Grand Champions Cup
APRIL 24-27: The USPA Spring Challenge
MAY 1-4: The USPA Sun Cup
MAY 8-11: The USPA Eastern Challenge
MAY 15-18: The Polo Gear Challenge Cup
MAY 22-26: The Memorial
GRAND CHAMPIONS POLO CLUB
WHERE: 13444 Southfields Road, on the corner of South Shore Boulevard and Lake Worth Road, Wellington, 33414.