Division I Women's and Men's Finals to Broadcast on ESPN with ‘Breakaway: Polo in College'
WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA / ACCESS Newswire / April 3, 2025 / U.S. Polo Assn., the official brand of the United States Polo Association (USPA), outfitted collegiate polo teams in the 2025 Division I Women's and Men's National Intercollegiate Championship (NIC) Finals. Held at the Prestonwood Polo and Country Club in Oak Point, Texas, on Sunday, March 30, where both the Women's and Men's Texas A&M University teams were victorious over the University of Virginia teams.
Representing the top-rated intercollegiate polo programs in the country, the Women's and Men's DI Finals will be aired on Breakaway: Polo In College, Saturday, April 5th, on ESPNU as part of the historic relationship between U.S. Polo Assn. and ESPN. Check your local listings for airtimes.
Hosted by the USPA, the DFW Polo Association, the Prestonwood Polo Association, and the Intercollegiate/Interscholastic (I/I) Program, the NIC Tournament is the most celebrated event for Division I Collegiate Polo in the United States. The 2025 USPA I/I Program is dedicated to growing the sport of polo through future generations in the United States.
The global U.S. Polo Assn. brand proudly supports rising student-athletes in the sport of polo and outfitted 57 collegiate polo teams for the 2025 Collegiate Polo Season. There were 10 teams that qualified to compete in the USPA's Division I National Intercollegiate Championships, where the final contenders included California Polytechnic State University, Southern Methodist University, Texas A&M, University of Connecticut, University of North Texas, University of South Carolina-Aiken, and University of Virginia.
The National Intercollegiate Championship included support from U.S. Polo Assn.'s nationwide Collegiate Partnership Program (CPP), available to all colleges and universities with a USPA-sanctioned collegiate polo team that lasts for one academic year. This is the seventh consecutive year for this program, where participating teams range from East to West Coast and include small private and large public institutions, as well as Ivy League and Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs). The global sports brand also provided prizes for both the winning team and the runners-up for each of the NIC Finals.
"Supporting these student-athletes and next generation of polo players in the National Intercollegiate Championship underscores U.S. Polo Assn.'s genuine commitment to the sport and our efforts to enhance its visibility at every level," said J. Michael Prince, President and CEO of USPA Global, the company that oversees the global, multi-billion-dollar U.S. Polo Assn. brand. "Our ongoing strategic relationship with ESPN allows us to broadcast highly competitive polo tournaments, including the 2025 Division I Women's and Men's NIC Finals, to sports fans and consumers worldwide to share in the excitement and passion for the sport."
The excitement continues to build as the Division II Women's and Men's NIC Finals approach on April 13th, promising more top-tier collegiate polo action. The 2025 Division II Women's and Men's National Intercollegiate Championship Finals will be played on Sunday, April 13, with the final contenders including Babson College, Colorado State University, Cornell University, Texas Tech University, University of California - Davis, University of Kentucky, and University of New Hampshire.
"We've had another amazing season of collegiate polo concluding with the 2025 National Intercollegiate Championships. Congratulations to all of the participants in the Division I and II Women's and Men's tournaments, whose achievements play a crucial role in the growth of the sport," said Liz Brayboy, Chair of the USPA's Intercollegiate/Interscholastic (I/I) Committee. "For the seventh consecutive year, U.S. Polo Assn.'s support of student-athletes and its partnership with ESPN is greatly appreciated, as it provides our collegiate polo teams outstanding exposure to millions of sports fans and new viewers at home."
The USPA and U.S. Polo Assn. congratulate all 2025 Division I and Division II Women's and Men's National Intercollegiate Championship (NIC) participants.
Photo Credits: David Murrell
About U.S. Polo Assn. and USPA Global
U.S. Polo Assn. is the official brand of the United States Polo Association (USPA), the largest association of polo clubs and polo players in North America, founded in 1890 and based at the USPA National Polo Center in Wellington, Florida. This year, U.S. Polo Assn. celebrates 135 years of sports inspiration alongside the USPA. With a multi-billion-dollar global footprint and worldwide distribution through more than 1,200 U.S. Polo Assn. retail stores as well as thousands of additional points of distribution, U.S. Polo Assn. offers apparel, accessories, and footwear for men, women, and children in more than 190 countries worldwide. Historic deals with ESPN in the United States and Star Sports in India now broadcast several of the premier polo championships in the world, sponsored by U.S. Polo Assn., making the thrilling sport accessible to millions of sports fans globally for the very first time.
U.S. Polo Assn. has consistently been named one of the top global sports licensors in the world alongside the NFL, NBA, and MLB, according to License Global. In addition, the sport-inspired brand is being recognized internationally with awards for global and digital growth. Due to its tremendous success as a global brand, U.S. Polo Assn. has been featured in Forbes, Fortune, Modern Retail, and GQ as well as on Yahoo Finance and Bloomberg, among many other noteworthy media sources around the world.
For more information, visit uspoloassnglobal.com and follow @uspoloassn.
USPA Global is a subsidiary of the USPA and manages the global, multi-billion-dollar U.S. Polo Assn. brand. Through its subsidiary, Global Polo Entertainment (GPE), USPA Global also manages Global Polo TV, which provides sports and lifestyle content. For more sports content, visit globalpolo.com.
About the United States Polo Association® (USPA)
The United States Polo Association® is organized and exists for the purposes of promoting the game of polo; coordinating the activities of its member clubs and registered player members; arranging and supervising polo tournaments, competitions and games; and providing rules, handicaps and tournament conditions for those events. Its overarching goals are improving the sport and promoting the safety and welfare of its human and equine participants. Founded in 1890, the USPA is the largest voluntary sports organization in North America for the sport of polo. The USPA is currently made up of more than 200 member clubs and over 5,000 registered player members. It annually awards and oversees roughly 50 national tournaments hosted by its member clubs. For more information, please visit uspolo.org.
About the DFW Polo Association
The DFW Polo Association is a combination of several Dallas area polo clubs that have united to create a greater polo experience in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. This new association was created to foster greater participation in tournament polo, to help grow the sport, and to provide a safe USPA-rules-governed environment across the participating DFW clubs. Collectively, the clubs have impressive facilities including ten outdoor polo fields, 3 covered arenas, 4 outdoor arenas, one hundred plus stalls, paddocks, and turn-out. The 2023 season will include Margarita League, USPA 4-goal, 6-goal, and 12-goal tournaments. For more information, please visit dfwpolo.com.
###
Contact Information
Stacey Kovalsky
Vice President, Global PR and Communications
skovalsky@uspagl.com
+001.561.790.8036
Shannon Stilson
VP, Sports Marketing & Media
sstilson@uspagl.com
+001.561.227.6994
SOURCE: U.S. Polo Assn.
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire