NEWS

The winners in Girls and Boys Polo are now honorees for the USA TODAY High School Sports national show, presented by U.S. Polo Assn.

With 103 High School Sports Awards programs in the books, it’s time to unveil the honorees for the 2021 national USA TODAY High School Sports Awards, presented by U.S. Polo Assn.

Some of these student athletes have already been competing in the big leagues, some are starting their college sports careers. Others might have a few more years of high school but are early leaders for their teams and schools.

Girls and Boys Polo is included with winners in 26 other sports that will be featured in the first USA TODAY High School Sports Awards national show. The show, hosted by legendary football stars Michael Strahan and Rob Gronkowski, will stream on-demand on the show website starting at 8:00pm ET Thursday, August 5. The two sports castors will be joined by many other top names including Sue Bird, Shaquille O’Neal, Katie Ledecky, Kevin Garnett, Chipper Jones and Alex Morgan.

Recording artist DJ Khaled and ESPN’s Charly Arnolt will host the national red-carpet segments, where they will interview some of the top high school athletes from around the country and highlight their performances over the last year.

The competitors listed below are the nominees for the national athlete of the year in Girls Polo and Boys Polo. These nominees will be presented, and then the top-three finalists will be featured, culminating in the reveal of the national athlete of the year for that sport. Several awards span across all sports and classifications, including awards for the team of the year, coach of the year, and finally the male and female athletes of the year.

The show will also be available to watch on YouTube and USA TODAY News and USA TODAY Sports Wire Channels, available on Roku, Samsung, and on most smart televisions.

Winners listed should register on the show website to receive their complimentary gift box, which includes the show program, a commemorative pin, as well as gift items from U.S. Polo Assn. and Kohl’s, as well as other show sponsors. Registration information will also be used to send any awards announced during the show. To receive the gift prior to the show, athletes must register on the show website by Monday, July 26.

These high school athletes put it all on the line this year. They fought for every inch, every goal. Some of the names on this list have already gone on to become professional athletes. Some will finish their sports careers now, but with more bragging rights.

Here are the nominees for the national athlete of the year in polo:

BOYS POLO

Piers Bossom - Will Rogers Polo Club (Pacific Palisades, California)
Landen Eckbo Daniels - Myopia Polo Club (South Hamilton, Massachusetts)
Lucas Escobar - Santa Clara Polo Club (Wellington, Florida)
Maximo Font - Barrington Hills Polo Club (Wacounda, Illinois)
Riley Jordan - Fair Hills Polo & Hunt Club (Topanaga, California)
Ryan Kerley - Eldorado Polo Club (Indio, California)
Aiden Meeker - Crestview Polo Club (Aiken, South Carolina)
Winston Painter - Gardnertown Polo Club (Newburgh, New York)
Lance Stefanakis - Houston Polo Club (Houston, Texas)
Vlad Tarashansky - Meadowbrook Polo Club (Old Westbury, New York)
Mackenzie Weisz - Southampton Polo Club (Water Mill, New York)
Jack Whitman - Port Mayaca Polo Club (Okeechobee, Florida)

GIRLS POLO

Hope Arellano - Indian Mound Polo Club (Wellington, Florida)
Gracie Brown - Bluewater Creek Polo Club (Rogersville, Alabama)
Sunny Diller - Maui Polo Club (Makawao, Hawaii)
Ariadne Dogani - Boston Polo Club (Georgetown, Massachusetts)
Sophie Grant - Maryland Polo Club (Jarretsville, Maryland)
Summer Kneece - Aiken Polo Club (Aiken, South Carolina)
Reagan Leitner - Aiken Polo Club (Aiken, South Carolina)
Robyn Leitner - Aiken Polo Club (Aiken, South Carolina)
Lillian Lequerica - Houston Polo Club (Houston, Texas)
Maya Miller - Maui Polo Club (Makawao, Hawaii)
Lindsey Morris - Garrison Forest School Polo Club (Owings Mills, Maryland)
Bridget Price - Pecan Acres Polo Club LLC (Simonton, Texas)