RWU will celebrate national polo championship at event Thursday

One year after its creation, RWU men’s polo team
wins national championship in California
Celebration planned for Thursday on Bristol campus

BRISTOL, R.I., April 10, 2017 – Just one year after its creation, the Roger Williams
University men’s polo team captured the 2017 United States Polo Association
Intercollegiate National Championship on Saturday, April 8, with a 12-11 victory
over Southern Methodist University.
The championship is the first national title in the young program’s history, as the
2016-17 academic year marks the team’s second season as a varsity sport at Roger
Williams. The team was nearly undefeated during the regular season, earning a birth
in the national tournament in Santa Barbara, Calif., by beating Cornell University
in the Northeast Regional Championship tournament.

David M. Kemmy, RWU’s director of athletics, intramurals and recreation, said this
marks the second time that a RWU team has won a national championship, following the
2011 sailing team that won team racing.

«What an incredible week for these student-athletes in their first nationals,» Kemmy
said. «To win it all is just incredible. They played like veterans and were not
fazed by anything. They let their talent and determination guide them.»

A celebration of the team’s national title is set for 12:30 p.m. Thursday, April 13,
at the Hawk’s Nest in the Campus Recreation Center on the Bristol campus, Kemmy
said. The championship trophy will be revealed at the event.

«This accomplishment is significant for several reasons,» said John J. King, RWU’s
vice president of student life. «It’s only the team’s second year as a varsity
sport, it shows the synergy with Newport Polo, and all three members of the team are
sophomores, indicating the team has a bright future.»

Coached by Ted Torrey (an instructor for Newport Polo), the Hawks were tested early
in the championship match, trailing or tied throughout the first half. Both teams
would go into the second period tied at four apiece. At the end of the first two
periods of play, Roger Williams and SMU were knotted at six each.

Roger Williams pulled away from Southern Methodist in the third chukker, outscoring
the Mustangs 3-0 for a comfortable 10-7 lead going into the final period. However,
SMU would make things interesting in the fourth.

RWU added a goal early in the chukker, but SMU chipped away at the deficit,
eventually pulling within one. SMU would notch the match-tying goal late in the
chukker to force a shootout.

Alternating by team, each player must take a shot on goal from a distance of 25
yards. In the shootout, SMU missed its first two opportunities before Pedro Cabrera
(Santo Domingo, Dominican Republican) notched the first goal to give RWU the lead.
The Mustangs answered right back with the tying score, while the Hawks were unable
to get the clinching goal, to force a second shootout.

Daymar Rosser (Philadelphia, Pa.) buried the first shot of the shootout to put RWU
back up. The two teams alternated missed shots before SMU logged a goal to tie
things back up at 13. George Hempt (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) knocked in the go-ahead goal
for RWU, forcing a must-have goal for the Mustangs. Unfortunately for SMU, the
attempt trickled wide left, giving the Hawks the championship.

Hempt, who was named a tournament All-Star, led Roger Williams with six goals, while
Rosser added three goals and two for Cabral.

About RWU: With campuses on the coast of Bristol and in the heart of Providence,
R.I., Roger Williams University is a forward-thinking private university committed
to strengthening society through engaged teaching and learning. At RWU, small
classes, direct access to faculty and guaranteed opportunity for real-world projects
ensure that its nearly 4,000 undergraduates – along with hundreds of law students,
graduate students and adult learners – graduate with the ability to think critically
along with the practical skills that today’s employers demand. Roger Williams is
leading the way in American higher education, confronting the most pressing issues
facing students and families – increasing costs, rising debt and job readiness.