The Cornell men’s polo team (7-6, 3-0 Ivy) claimed the 2025 Northeast Men’s Division II Regional Title with wins against Babson College and Yale University on Sunday.
The Red started the tournament at Yale University on March 7 and competed until March 9. In a decisive victory, Cornell bested the Bulldogs 28-1. Freshman Max Sponer netted eight goals in three chukkers and junior Benito Jaramillo recorded 12 points.
“It was a good rivalry game where we were able to allow everyone on the team some way to contribute to the huge win,” Sponer said. “This momentum and confidence boost was important to us winning against Babson later.”
On March 9, the Red took on Babson in an effort to clinch the title. At the end of the first chukker, the Red took a 5-0 lead and continued to score and defend its large lead. At the start of the fourth chukker, the Red led 17-9.
In the end, the Beavers were not able to keep up with the Red’s strong offensive efforts. Cornell ended up on top with a final score of 19-15. Sponer scored seven times in the Babson victory and Jaramillio scored nine.
“It was a tough, competitive fight against Babson,” said freshman Dylan Tung. “But we were able to fight through and secure a victory.”
Looking ahead, Cornell has now qualified for the Division II National Championships and will wrap up the rest of the season with two more home matches.
“Work on winning the wall side and improving every day is important to us winning matches,” Sponer said. “Keeping up the intensity and not being complacent will be most important.”
Cornell will play the Hemlock Hill Farm Polo Club and Gardnertown Polo Club at 6 p.m. on March 15 at the Oxley Equestrian Center. The Division II National Championship is slated to start on April 9 and run through April 13.
Zeinab Faraj is the assistant sports editor on the 143rd editorial board and a member of the class of 2028 in the College of Arts and Sciences. You can reach her at zfaraj@cornellsun.com.
