ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell men's and women's polo teams will head south to Charlottesville, Va. for the 2019 USPA National Intercollegiate Championships beginning on Tuesday, April 2 at Virginia. The women's journey begins with a semifinal matchup against the host Cavaliers on Wednesday, April 3 at 2 p.m., with the men squaring off with Texas A&M on Thursday, April 4 at 2 p.m. The championship games will both take place on Saturday, April 6 with the women playing at noon and the men at 2 p.m.

With a 14-9 overall record after last weekend's 15-3 triumph over West Shore Polo Club, the Northeast Regional champion Big Red women will be facing Virginia for the second time this season. The Cavaliers won the first meeting back in November by a 16-9 score at Oxley Equestrian Center in the first round of the Bill Field Invite. It will be the seventh time since 2011 that the two teams will be squaring off at nationals, with the UVa holding a 5-2 edge in those games. Since 2010, Virginia leads the series 15-13 (Cornell is 113-24 over that same span against all other opponents). A win over their longtime rival would put them into Saturday's final against either Cal Poly or Texas A&M. The Big Red is 0-1 against the Aggies this season and hasn't met Cal Poly.  The Big Red women's team is an impressive 12-4 against collegiate opponents, including 4-1 over its last five outings. Northeast All-Star selections Shariah Harris and Rachel Booth will lead Cornell into the postseason. The 15-time national champions last stood atop the podium in 2016, with the Big Red earning a spot in the finals 14 times in the last 19 seasons.

The Cornell men enter nationals with a 17-3 record and a five-match win streak after collecting a 30-5 win over Westport Polo Club this past weekend. The Big Red will be facing Texas A&M for the first time since earning a 14-9 win in the semifinals of the 2016 Virginia Fall Invitational and is 5-2 all-time vs. the Aggies. A win over the Aggies would likely put Cornell against top-seeded Virginia, who opens its tournament against either Cal Poly or North Texas. Cornell dropped a 21-5 decision to the Cavaliers in the finals of the Bill Field Invite and has not met either UNT or Cal Poly this year. Northeast All-Stars Lorenzo Masias and Morgan Palacios will lead the Big Red into nationals. Cornell has won 11 national titles, the last coming in 2005, and has appeared in the championship game 35 times.