Victory Polo/La Fe Eastern Hay, La Monarquia Capture WCT Finals Catena Polo Cup; Mia Cambiaso, Ava Hinkson Sweep MVP, BPP Honors

WELLINGTON, FL., March 30, 2025---The legacy of polo great Sunny Hale lived on Friday at the Women's Championship Tournament Finals at Grand Champions Polo Club.

By Sharon Robb

Photos by Candace Ferreira

Five teams competed to honor the Hall of Famer in the best possible way by playing polo at a high level in the Open and Lower Flight divisions.They were  two of the most competitive finals in tournament history.

Victory Polo/La Fe Eastern Hay (Becky Schmeits, 1, Pamela Flanagan Devaleix, 4, Mia Cambiaso, 9, Milly Hine, 9) captured the open division with a hardfought 4-2 win over Don George Polo (Jenna Davis, 4, Cecilia Cochran, 4, Kylie Sheehan, 5, Nina Clarkin, 9) and 3-1 win over Buena Vibra (Lilli Hagemeier, 1, Giuliana Tarazona, 2, Hope Arellano, 10, Fatima Balzano, 7) in round robin play.

Cambiaso was named Most Valuable Player. Her horse, La Dolfina Maria, owned and played by Cambiaso in the fifth chukker, was the Grand Champions Polo Club Best Playing Pony.

Cinco de Mayo, owned and played by Arellano, was the American Polo Horse Association Best Playing Pony.

In the opening game of the three-team round robin, Victory Polo/La Fe Eastern Hay defeated Don George Polo, 4-2. Devaleix opened the scoring early followed by Hine two minutes later for a 2-0 advantage. Cambiaso scored back-to-back goals, one off a broken play late in the first chukker and a 60-yarder early in the second chukker. Davis and Clarkin scored goals in the final three minutes.

In the second game, Buena Vibra topped Don George Polo, 5-3. Buena Vibra had a 5-1 lead early in the second chukker before Don George rallied with goals from Sheehan and Clarkin. Buena Vibra got balanced scoring from Arellano, Balzano and Hagemeier including an 80-yarder from Arellano.

The third and final game, a true final of wide, open polo, lived up to expectations with Victory Polo/La Fe Eastern Hay, winning 3-1. In a defensive battle in the first chukker, both teams had scoring opportunities but couldn't capitalize. With two minutes left, Arellano lofted a 60-yard penalty to give Buena Vibra a 1-0 lead.

Cambiaso scored on a great angled goal with 5:13 left in the second chukker for a 1-1 tie. Two minutes later after the courtesy pony change, Hine scored on a broken play to give Victory Polo/La Fe Eastern Hay a 2-1 lead. Devaleix scored in the final seconds for an insurance goal.

La Monarquia (Megan Manubay, 2, Valentina Villamil, 1, Malicia von Falkenhausen, 3, Ava Hinkson, 3) won the Lower Flight game with an impressive 8-1 victory over Work To Ride (Lilli Hagemeier, 1, Violet Hiltbrand, 2, Shariah Harris, 3, Jade Hiltbrand, 2).

La Monarquia, playing well as a team with chemistry, jumped out to a 4-0 lead behind the hot mallet of Hinkson, who scored three of the goals including back-to-back in the first two minutes. von Falkenhausen scored the fourth goal off a broken play.

La Monarquia continued to build off its lead over the next three chukkers. Harris, the first black woman to play in the U.S. Women's Open for Work To Ride last year, scored the lone goal.

For the second time in three days, Hinkson was awarded Most Valuable Player. On Wednesday, Hinkson, 21, was named MVP of the monthly championship game of The Polo School Women's Weekly Polo League at Santa Rita Polo Farm.

Hinkson's first chukker horse Murrco, an 8-year-old, was the Grand Champions Best Playing Pony for the second year in a row. Que Pingo, Villamil's final chukker horse, was the American Polo Horse Association Best Playing Pony.

"I think we all have such fond memories of Sunny and it's nice to go out in her spirit, uplift each other and remember her legacy and what we are all in this for," Hinkson said. "I did the first tournament in 2016 the first year I started playing polo. I got to meet Sunny. She was an incredible person. She was so unique. There was no one like her."

British player Nina Clarkin was awarded the Sunny Smiles Sportsmanship Award. The mother of three has been playing professionally for more than 20 years and is a former 10-goaler.

Both winning teams will have their names engraved on the coveted Catena Polo Cup, a perpetual trophy established by Catena Watches USA in May, 2006. Bill Kraft, President and CEO of Catena USA,  generously donates the gift watches to the tournament players in honor of Hale.

Now in its 19th year, the WCT Finals were created in 2006 by Hale, who has done more for women's polo than any player, past or present. The WCT opened the door and broke down barriers for other girls and women to pursue their passion.

The tournament honors the Hall of Famer and polo pioneer who died on February 26 in Norman, Okla. at the age of 48 after a battle with breast cancer but left a lasting legacy.

Hale was a pioneer and advocate for players and horses. She created the women's polo handicaps that were implemented  by the U.S. Polo Association. In 2006, she started the American Polo Horse Association which recognizes polo ponies in America and encourages events that showcase them and collects, preserves and record horses' pedigrees. She helped revive the U.S. Women’s Open in 2011.

Hale, rated 5 goals in mixed polo and awarded 10-goal status posthumously, was the first woman in U.S. history to win the U.S. Open in 2000 with Tim Gannon's Outback team (Phil Heatley, Lolo Castagnola and Adolfo Cambiaso).

Much like Hale, Arellano, 22, has become an inspiration for young women. The fourth generation player became only the second American woman to be rated at 10 goals and first American to achieve a 10-goal status since Polito Pieres was ranked in 2015.  She is the first American player to win the prestigious Women's Argentine Open. She has also won the U.S. Open Women's Polo Championship and was the first woman to compete for the U.S. in the FIP World Polo Championship.

"I think it's incredible how much women's polo grows every single year," Arellano said. "It keeps getting better and better. I am excited to see in the future how it continues to improve. I think Sunny would be proud of of that, too."

In last year's tournament, Grand Champions Polo (Megan Manubay, 1, Becky Schmeits, 1, Hazel Jackson, 10, Milly Hine, 8) defeated Orea Polo/Armstrong Farm (Petra Sobotova, 1, Tiffany Armstrong, 1, Kylie Sheehan, 5, Hope Arellano, 10), 6-5.

Resolute/Armstrong Farms (Nicole Hai, Lauren Proctor Brown, Tiffany Armstrong, Kylie Sheehan) rallied to win the 8-goal division round robin. Santa Rita/La Monarquia (Megan Manubay, Mary Wright, Ava Hinkson, Malicia von Falkenhausen) finished second and Jupiter Polo (Rebecca Cohen, Paige Coles, Alyson Poor, Jenna Davis) was third.