| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, The University of North Texas polo club proved |
|
|
itself the finest in the nation by winning the 2023 United States |
|
|
Polo Association Division I Men's National Intercollegiate |
|
|
Championship on April 15; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Despite having only competed in the sport since |
|
|
2018, the Mean Green polo club quickly established itself as a |
|
|
strong contender and finished as the runner-up for the national |
|
|
title in April 2022; after returning to action later in the year, |
|
|
UNT logged a series of impressive wins in November, capturing the |
|
|
Texas College Polo Championship with a 13-10 victory over Southern |
|
|
Methodist University and then bested Cornell and the University of |
|
|
Virginia to clinch the prestigious William S. Field Invitational |
|
|
polo tournament and the No. 1 ranking in the country; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, At the conclusion of the regular season, UNT joined |
|
|
the other top teams in Charlottesville, Virginia, for the 2023 |
|
|
National Intercollegiate Championship tournament; the Mean Green |
|
|
players first squared off against Texas A&M University in the |
|
|
semifinals on April 13 and defeated their interstate rivals, 20-8; |
|
|
two days later, the team took to the field for the championship |
|
|
match, looking to avenge the loss to the University of Virginia in |
|
|
the 2022 finale; UNT built a 5-3 advantage in the first three |
|
|
chukkers and added to their lead after the break; demonstrating |
|
|
tremendous poise and confidence down the stretch, UNT outscored |
|
|
Virginia 4-1 in the fifth chukker and then dialed up the defense the |
|
|
rest of the way to seal a 14-9 victory and the university's first |
|
|
polo title; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Vaughn Miller Jr. scored 17 goals in the national |
|
|
tournament and was joined on the All-Star team by Andrew Scott, who |
|
|
earned the Connie Upchurch Memorial Sportsmanship Award for the |
|
|
second time; UNT also received important contributions in the match |
|
|
from John Dencker, Vance Miller, and Niklaus Felhaber; these |
|
|
determined student-athletes were ably guided by head coach Vaughn |
|
|
Miller Sr.; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Winning a national championship represents |
|
|
countless hours of hard work and an unwavering commitment to |
|
|
excellence, and the UNT Mean Green polo players are a source of |
|
|
tremendous pride to the entire university community; now, |
|
|
therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby congratulate the University of North Texas polo |
|
|
club on winning the 2023 USPA Division I Men's National |
|
|
Intercollegiate Championship and extend to the team's athletes, |
|
|
coaches, and staff sincere best wishes for continued success; and, |
|
|
be it further |
|
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
|
prepared for the club as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
|
|
House of Representatives. |