NEWS

Hosted by Cornell Polo Club in Ithaca, New York, the final of the Division II Women’s National Intercollegiate Championship featured a Northeastern Regional rematch between At-Large Selection University of New Hampshire (Rebecca LaFrance, Brynn Roberts, Ariadne “Ari” Dogani, Catherine Ling) and Northeastern champions Cornell University (Ava Ramachandran, Naomi Tachibana Marlough, Lara Chong, Isabelle Braden). Each vying for its first Division II title, the national showdown on Sunday, April 13, was the third meeting for the familiar foes this intercollegiate season. Determined by the slimmest of margins, Cornell University (Cornell) took the first regular season match against the University of New Hampshire (UNH) in a shootout, followed by a narrow 12-11 victory for Big Red at regionals. A close first half in the John T. Oxley Equestrian Center, Cornell pulled ahead in second with a well-rounded team performance to defeat UNH 14-10 and claim the title.

Kicking off the competition on Wednesday, April 9, Southeastern Region victors University of Kentucky (Grace Spellman, Ava Nunes, Taylor Nackers, Mila Slutzky), narrowly edged past Western Region representatives University of California Davis (Liliana Gonzalez, Elise Pardue, Marisa Carelli, Emilynn Angie-Buss, Ashley Simpson). A close quarterfinal, University of California Davis took control early in the match, as University of Kentucky (UK) mounted a steady comeback capitalizing from the penalty line. Tied with 17 seconds remaining on the clock, a confident Nackers sank the game winning Penalty 2 to deliver UK the 15-14 victory.

In the first semifinal, University of New Hampshire began its journey to the final defeating reigning Division II champions and Central Region winners Colorado State University (Sara Eggenberger, Olivia Schmidt, Willow Longerbeam, Josie Goldstein, Grace Unger) 15-11. On route to victory, UNH fielded a 4-player rotation, with La France and Ling splitting duties in the number one position. Concluding semifinal action Friday, April 11, five conversions from Chong powered Cornell past the University of Kentucky, 15-9. A solid victory, each Cornell teammate had the opportunity to showcase their skills prior to the final, with Braden entering the competition in the fourth chukker.

Dogani kicked off Sunday’s final contest on back-to-back conversions. Featuring Ling in the number one position to start the match, UNH worked in unison for an early 3-2 lead. Battling back in the second period, Tachibana Marlough led Cornell’s offense from the field, as the two opponents entered the break tied 6-all.

Rotating through four UNH teammates, LaFrance entered the arena to begin the second half. Back on the attack in the third period, each member of Cornell reached the scoreboard to push ahead 10-8. Despite two goals from UNH’s Roberts in the fourth chukker, the duo of Ramachandran and Chong ultimately sealed the hometown win for Cornell, 14-10.

Guiding Cornell to its first Division II title, Coach Anthony Condo Jr. shared, “I'm so incredibly happy for our women's squad for capturing the national championship this year. After last year's stinging, last second semifinal loss in California, I know our returning players [Ramachandran, Chong and Braden] felt a burning desire for redemption this time around. To beat such a talented UNH squad three times in one season is incredibly difficult, but our team was up for that challenge, and they responded in earnest when it mattered the most.”

All-Stars were awarded to Ariadne “Ari” Dogani (University of New Hampshire), Lara Chong (Cornell University), Taylor Nackers (University of Kentucky) and Naomi Tachibana Marlough (Cornell University). The Clyde C. Waddell Jr. Sportsmanship Award was presented to Cornell University’s Ava Ramachandran for her continued positive attitude, fairness and support for her peers in and out of the arena. In addition to her All-Star honor, Ariadne “Ari” Dogani earned the Horsemanship Award for her outstanding and consistent demonstration of riding ability and attention to equine care throughout the competition. Best Playing String was presented to Ola Polo – Colorado State University String, who also boasted the Best Playing Pony Ola Paris. Rounding out the equine awards, Best Turned-Out String honors were presented to Kingswood – University of New Hampshire String.

All photos courtesy of ©Kaile Roos Photography.