Andrew and Kyle Poland were the core of the Ponaganset Cross Country and Track & Field Teams from the moment they set foot on The Reservation as Freshmen in the fall of 1998. In their four-year high school tenure, the Ponaganset Cross Country Team was the most successful team in the State: winning the State Championship once, earning Runner-Up (2nd) twice, placing 5th in the Twins' freshman year of 1998, and capturing a Runner-Up at the New England Championships in 2000. Only two male XC teams in the state have a better consecutive four year run in the 30 year period from 1980-2010. The XC Team also dominated the Division and Class, earning four Championships and four Runner-Up during that time. Andrew and Kyle's intensity, dedication, and leadership were legendary. They made everyone on the team feel welcome and challenged them to be the best daily. We were all better for having been their teammates.
Combined, their individual accomplishments are numerous: they participated every season of high school amassing 24 varsity letters, thirty-five time All-Division/All Class, Thirteen-time New England qualifiers, and four All-State recognitions.
After graduating from Ponaganset High School in 2002, Kyle and Andrew Poland set their sights on the University of Rhode Island. During their collegiate career at URI, they were both named Atlantic-10 Conference Athletes of the Week on separate occasions, earned the title of Co Captains of the Cross Country team as Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors, and were leaders amongst the distance runners on both the Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field teams from 2002 to 2006.
One of Andrew's top accomplishments was a top 10 finish in the 3,000-meter run at the 2005- 2006 Indoor Track and Field New England Championship meet with a personal record time of 8 minutes, 39 seconds. Kyle's top accomplishment came when he volunteered as an assistant coach for the URI Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Teams from 2006 to 2008. In May of 2008, Kyle helped lead the Outdoor Track and Field team to the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship in Charleston, South Carolina.
Andrew currently lives in Scituate with his wife Tina, their daughter, Penny, and their dog, Rocky. He is the Director of Sales Excellence - North America Operations for Schneider Electric, where he has been employed for the past sixteen years.