UNCC grabs second Carolinas seed to spring playoffs. /// Photo courtesy UNCC Women’s Rugby
This weekend filled out the DII College spring Round of 16, which occurs at four different sites next weekend, April 9-10. The four teams that exit that doubleheader weekend with two wins move onto the spring final four, which will be contested April 23-24 at UC Davis.
UC RIVERSIDE
UPDATE: This is the second time these match-ups have been revised, but this April 5 version is the final.
Saturday, April 9
UC Riverside (Gold Coast #1) vs. Fresno State (West Coast #3)
Univ. Southern California (Gold Coast #2) vs. UC Irvine (Gold Coast #3)
Sunday, April 10
1 p.m. Consolation
3 p.m. Semifinal
UC Riverside went undefeated through the Gold Coast regular season and received an automatic berth to the spring regional (although a conference final four had been scheduled). The Highlanders will face Fresno State, which is listed as the West Coast’s third seed and actually the conference’s DIII champion that won an at-large bid to play up. Similarly, the Gold Coast’s bottom two DII teams – Occidental and Claremont – will play West Coast DIII teams in a regional championship this weekend.
In the other semifinal, Gold Coast’s #2 USC and #3 UC Irvine face each other for the third time this spring. The pair played each other at the end of March, with the Trojans triumphing 60-31.
UC DAVIS
Saturday, April 9
9 a.m. UN Reno (West Coast #2) vs. Western Oregon (Cascade #1)
11 a.m. Humboldt (West Coast #1) vs. Eastern Washington (Cascade #2)
Sunday, April 10
9 a.m. Consolation
11 a.m. Semifinal
Two teams each from the West Coast and Cascade conferences convene in Davis, Calif. The West Coast seeding was decided last weekend, when Humboldt played UN Reno for a third time and 66-12 win. There’s more parity between the Cascade conference’s Western Oregon and Eastern Washington. The first-year team won the first meeting 7-0, and then the Wolves prevailed 28-19 in the conference championship.
ATLANTA
Saturday, April 9
9 a.m. Eckerd College (Florida #1) vs. Tulane (SIRC #2)
11a.m. UGA (SIRC #1) vs. Arkansas (Mid-America #1)
Sunday, April 10
9 a.m. Consolation
11 a.m. Semifinal
The South Independent Rugby Conference received two seeds. The three-pool competition hosted a final four over the weekend, with UGA defeating UT Chattanooga 12-5 and Tulane eliminating Kennesaw State after a 22-8 semifinal. In Sunday’s final, UGA took the title with a 15-10 win over Tulane. Eckerd and Arkansas emerged from less robust competitions. The DII Florida league is three teams big, and the Razorbacks suffered forfeits and cancellations en route to the Mid-America berth.
MARY WASHINGTON
Saturday, April 9
11 a.m. Univ. South Carolina (Carolinas #1) vs. Mary Washington (Capital #2)
1 p.m. Salisbury (Capital #1) vs. UNC Charlotte (Carolinas #2)
Sunday, April 10
11 a.m. Consolation
1 p.m. Semifinal
Mary Washington stepped in to replace Virginia Tech as this region’s playoff site. The host finished second to Salisbury in the Capital conference, which contested its season in the fall. The Maryland side won the final 31-17. The undefeated University of South Carolina was supposed to play a Carolinas championship against #2 UNC Charlotte, but once it was decided that the conference would receive two spots to the Round of 16, that changed. Instead, UNCC played #3 College of Charleston Saturday for the second bid, and the former prevailed 36-31.