News in Brief: UVA Polo Player Is the Best in the Nation

Lea Jih-Vieira, who rode on the University of Virginia’s 2024 national-championship women’s polo team, is being recognized nationally as the nation’s top female collegiate player. 

The United States Polo Association and the Polo Training Foundation chose Jih-Vieira as the Daniel J. Wallace Jr. Intercollegiate Player of the Year. A committee comprising representatives from intercollegiate and interscholastic programs selected Jih-Vieira based on her playing ability, contribution to the sport and sportsmanship, as well as horsemanship and leadership on and off the field.

Jih-Vieira, of Frederick, Maryland, was introduced to polo while in middle school. She played three years at Cornell University, where she studied data science. Jih-Vieira came to UVA as a systems engineering graduate student and continued her polo career.