Danielle Travis, Lucila Ritterstein and Meredith Kronja have an opportunity to achieve something no other SBCC student-athlete can claim — a national championship. The trio rode their horses in fine Vaquero fashion recently while beating defending regional champion Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, 12-7, to claim the West Regional title at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club.
The squad, coached by ex-professional player John Westley, earned a berth in the five-team U.S. Polo Association National Intercollegiate Championships next week in Lexington, Ky. SBCC, the only JC women’s team in the competition, will take on Oregon State in a play-in game at 1 p.m. Tuesday with the winner advancing to the semifinals.
Three-time defending champion Connecticut is also in the field. In college polo, the format is 3-on-3 and it’s played on a smaller field. SBCC walloped Stanford, 20-3, behind 16 goals from Travis, to reach the West Regional final.
The Westmont College men’s club polo team is also in the championship tournament, and will play Texas A&M at 4 p.m. Thursday.
Dave Loveton is Santa Barbara City College‘s sports information specialist.