ITHACA, N.Y. – The Cornell men's and women's polo teams will head to Storrs, Conn. this weekend for the USPA Northeast Regional championships with a berth to the national championships on the line. Standing in their way – many of the top teams in the region, including the host Huskies, as well as Skidmore, Harvard and Yale.
Cornell's men will begin their road to a regional title on Saturday, March 22 at 10 a.m. when they face the winner of the game between Harvard and Yale. The Big Red hasn't played Harvard this season, though they did beat Yale 30-3 back in December. With a win, Cornell would play either Skidmore or UConn in the championship game. The Big Red has already defeated both Connecticut and Skidmore twice each, outscoring the Huskies 52-17 and Thoroughbreds 58-25 in the matchups.
The men are 11-5 on the year after last weekend's 18-14 win over the Country Farms Polo Club. The Big Red is now 11-3 in its last 14 contests, with all three of its losses coming to Virginia. Eldredge sports a 407-171-8 overall record (.701) with the men. Cornell is out to capture its 20th Northeast Regional title all-time and 12th in the last 14 years.
The women will open the regional championship, which will be a three-team round robin, with a matchup against Skidmore on Friday, March 21 at 6 p.m. It will be the third meeting this season between the Big Red and the Thoroughbreds, with Cornell outscoring Skidmore 59-10. If both teams are able to get past Skidmore, Sunday's game between Cornell and Connecticut will serve as a de facto regional championship game. The Big Red and the Huskies have met three times previously this year, with UConn winning two of the three contests, including both games in Storrs, Conn.
At 15-3 on the season, the Cornell women are out to capture the 21st Northeast title in program history and the sixth straight. The Big Red has advanced to the national title game each of the last three seasons, including winning the 2011 USPA collegiate title. The Big Red is 11-1 in its last 12 games, including last weekend's 23-13 victory over Maryland Polo Club. Eldredge picked up his 450th win with the women's program earlier this spring and now sports a 454-124-17 (.777) record.
