Anna D’s Wins the A Flight Title
Anna Dwyer is named MVP and her horse Opal is Best Playing Pony as Anna D’s beats Wire Road 14–7 in the final.
Anna D’s won the A Flight (6–9 goal) of the 2026 USPA Northeast Circuit Arena Women’s Challenge on Sunday, November 8, at Westchester Polo Club in Newport, Rhode Island. Anna Dwyer, Isabelle Poniatowski and Danielle Diamond beat Wire Road 14–7 in the final.
Dwyer swept the individual honors. She was named Most Valuable Player after a tournament-best 16 goals, and Opal, the horse she owns and played, was named Best Playing Pony.
In the consolation, Stage Hill Polo beat MadMouse Polo 11–5. The A Flight closed out a week of women’s arena polo that opened with the B Flight on November 4–5.
Results at a Glance
| Champion | Anna D’s (Danielle Diamond, Isabelle Poniatowski, Anna Dwyer) |
| Finalist | Wire Road (Ava Richard, Megan Schulz, Hannah Stowe) |
| Final | Anna D’s 14, Wire Road 7 |
| Consolation | Stage Hill Polo 11, MadMouse Polo 5 |
| Most Valuable Player | Anna Dwyer, Anna D’s |
| Best Playing Pony | Opal, owned and played by Anna Dwyer, groomed by Lauti |
| Leading scorer | Anna Dwyer, 16 goals in two games |
MVP: Anna Dwyer
Anna Dwyer earned Most Valuable Player honors after leading the A Flight with 16 goals in two games. She played No. 3 for the team that carries her name.
Her semifinal set the tone. Dwyer scored 11 of Anna D’s 18 goals against Stage Hill Polo, including all five of her team’s goals in the first chukker.
In the final she added five more. She scored the first goal of the game and two more in a four-goal third chukker that opened an 11–5 lead.
Best Playing Pony: Opal
Opal was named Best Playing Pony of the A Flight. Anna Dwyer owns Opal and played the horse in the first and fourth chukkers of the final, and Lauti groomed Opal for the tournament. Anna D’s outscored Wire Road 7–4 in those two chukkers, and Dwyer scored two of her five final goals on Opal in the opening chukker.
“Opal is a 12- or 13-year-old registered Paint who came from a jumping background,” said Anna Dwyer. “I bought her from Heather Soto at Farmington Polo Club last year. She’s a beast in the arena with amazing defense, and she’s a very valuable part of my string. She can play for everyone from middle school girls to the pros.”
The Final: Anna D’s 14, Wire Road 7
Anna D’s started with two goals on handicap and never trailed. Wire Road carried a 7-goal team handicap to Anna D’s 5.
First chukker. Anna D’s scored the first four goals of the game, two of them by Anna Dwyer, for a 6–0 lead. Hannah Stowe answered twice to make it 6–2.
Second chukker. Dwyer pushed the lead to 7–2. Stowe then scored three straight to pull Wire Road within two at 7–5.
Third chukker. Anna D’s took control with four unanswered goals. Dwyer scored twice, and Danielle Diamond and Isabelle Poniatowski added one each for an 11–5 lead.
Fourth chukker. Diamond and Poniatowski scored again, and Stowe added her sixth goal of the game as Anna D’s closed out a 14–7 win.
Stowe played No. 3 for Wire Road, with Ava Richard at No. 1 and Megan Schulz at No. 2. Diamond played No. 1 and Poniatowski No. 2 for Anna D’s.
Road to the Final
Rain delayed the start of play on Saturday, November 7. Both semifinals went ahead later that day once the grounds crew had restored the arena surface.
Wire Road 12, MadMouse Polo 9. MadMouse Polo started with one goal on handicap, and Wire Road led just 7–6 after two chukkers. Wire Road pulled away in the second half behind Hannah Stowe, who scored seven goals. Megan Schulz and Ava Richard added two each, and Minnie Keating and Kat Thomson led the MadMouse Polo attack.
Anna D’s 19, Stage Hill Polo 5. Anna D’s started with one goal on handicap and scored five in each of the first two chukkers. Anna Dwyer led with 11 goals, Isabelle Poniatowski added three and Danielle Diamond one. Amanda Poor scored all five of Stage Hill Polo’s goals.
Consolation: Stage Hill Polo 11, MadMouse Polo 5
Stage Hill Polo came from behind to win the consolation on Sunday, November 8. The teams were even at 6 goals each, so no handicap goals went on the board, and MadMouse Polo led 4–3 after two chukkers.
Stage Hill took over in the second half, scoring eight of the last nine goals. Liz Sawicki led with five goals and Amanda Poor added four, with Mariah Joyce at No. 1. For MadMouse Polo, Minnie Keating and Kat Thomson scored two each, and Mia Funt and Jackie Wein shared the No. 1 position.
Players in Both Flights
Five players competed in both flights of the Women’s Challenge, and all five won a title or a consolation along the way.
- Danielle Diamond was named MVP of the B Flight with Bad Mother Chukkers on Thursday, then won the A Flight title with Anna D’s on Sunday.
- Mariah Joyce won a consolation in each flight: with Champagne Campaign in the B Flight and Stage Hill Polo in the A Flight.
- Kat Thomson, Jackie Wein and Mia Funt won the B Flight with MadMouse Polo, then joined Minnie Keating for the A Flight.
Tournament Scoring Leaders
Twelve more goals were pony goals, Penalty 1 awards, or not credited to a player on the score sheets. Anna D’s and MadMouse Polo also received four handicap goals between them.
Full Results
| Game | Date | Result | Goals by chukker (1–2–3–4) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Final | Sun, Nov 8 | Anna D’s 14, Wire Road 7 | 4–1–4–3 plus 2 on handicap vs. 2–3–0–2 |
| Consolation | Sun, Nov 8 | Stage Hill Polo 11, MadMouse Polo 5 | 2–1–4–4 vs. 1–3–0–1 |
| Semifinal II | Sat, Nov 7 | Anna D’s 19, Stage Hill Polo 5 | 5–5–6–2 plus 1 on handicap vs. 2–1–0–2 |
| Semifinal I | Sat, Nov 7 | Wire Road 12, MadMouse Polo 9 | 3–4–4–1 vs. 1–4–2–1 plus 1 on handicap |
Rosters
| Team | No. 1 | No. 2 | No. 3 | Team handicap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anna D’s (champion) | Danielle Diamond (0) | Isabelle Poniatowski (2) | Anna Dwyer (3) | 5 |
| Wire Road (finalist) | Ava Richard (2) | Megan Schulz (3) | Hannah Stowe (2) | 7 |
| Stage Hill Polo (consolation winner) | Mariah Joyce (0) | Liz Sawicki (0) | Amanda Poor (6) | 6 |
| MadMouse Polo | Mia Funt or Jackie Wein (0) | Kat Thomson (0) | Minnie Keating (6) | 6 |
Player handicaps are in parentheses. Positions are as listed for each team’s last game.
Officials and Thanks
USPA umpire Ryan Saul officiated all four A Flight games, and Agnes Keating kept score.
Newport Polo thanks every player, groom and pony who made the 2026 Arena Women’s Challenge a success, along with the USPA Northeast Circuit. Congratulations to all eight teams across both flights and thank you for being part of the 1876–2026 Diamond Jubilee Season at America’s First Polo Club.