Freshman Michel Navarro for Central Washington /// Photo courtesy CWU Athletics / EppicMedia.com
It was a massive weekend for DI colleges around the country, and programs like Notre Dame College, Life University, Central Washington and Penn State played doubleheaders.
Notre Dame College had a standout showing, hosting DI Elite’s Life University and NIRA opponent Army over three days, and winning both. Stay tuned for comments from Falcons’ Lea Walsh and her team’s 15-7 victory over the Running Eagles and 17-8 win over the Black Knights.
Life University then continued its tour in State College, Pa., and made some ground against reigning DI Elite champion Penn State. After taking a 5-0 halftime lead, the Nittany Lions rallied with 10 points off a Tess Feury penalty, Ellie Fromstein try and Feury conversion. With no time left on the clock, the Running Eagles dotted down the tying points, but the conversion sailed just wide for the 10-10 tie.
Penn State prefaced the Saturday match with a 34-5 victory over Big 10 opponent Ohio State (Gianna Solomon, Corinne Heavner, Madison McCormick and Emily Barton scored tries; Heavner kicked conversions). The team was also recognized during the Penn State vs. Minnesota football game in front of 95,000 fans during the university’s State of Excellence celebration.
Also on tour, DI Elite’s Central Washington banked two big NIRA wins against AIC (57-29) and Norwich (85-18). Freshman Sui A’au led with five tries, while fellow first-years Michel Navarro and Kathlena Truong added four apiece. Cassidy Meyers (3) and Yana Manoa (2) had multi-try weekends, while Jenny Johnson, Nate Serevi, Carrie Vaillancourt, Ashlee Byrge, Jaida Kafovalu, Ashley Rolsma and Cassidy Rowe also scored. Meyers (2) and Byrge (4) handled the conversions.
DI Elite’s Lindenwood went on the road to face 2016 DII club runner-up Wisconsin and posted another shutout, 44-0. The win marked the third against senior women’s clubs this fall. New Zealand freshman and flyhalf Sarah Swinbanks opened up the scoring with a penalty 15 minutes in, as both teams adjusted to the wet conditions. Reina Anderson, Amanda Lenau and Kendal McCracken then followed with tries for a 20-0 halftime lead. In the second 40, Morgan Courtney, Aisina Farley, Jennese Bacon and Swinbanks scored, while the flyhalf added two conversions. Coach Billy Nicholas attributed the win to solid team play and pressure defense.
Notre Dame is still undefeated in the Big 10, defeating Purdue 44-5. Sophie Asah, Grace Kiraly, Grace McGurn, Kate Blackman, Jade Jennings, Scout Muzikowski and Mary Solokas scored tries, while Abbi Wood kicked over three conversions and a penalty kick. Also in the Big 10, Michigan beat Rutgers 44-22.
Isobel Boettcher led Dartmouth with three tries, as the Big Green edged Harvard 22-19 in the Ivy League. Fellow freshman Eva Klein added the fourth try, while sophomore Kat Ramage tacked on the conversion. Also in the Ivies, the Brown vs. Princeton match was postponed, while Cornell bested Columbia 53-20.
UConn improved to 2-0 in the DI Northeast, defeating UMass 22-10. Alecia Alleyne, Christa Amoia, Rachel Coxe and Amy McKinstry scored the tries for the Huskies, while Amoia tacked on the conversion. UMass sent Rebecca Dykes and Danielle Godwin over for tries.
The UVA vs. Kent State match was a Mason-Dixon friendly, but an important one as the Golden Flashes got a good idea of what their top competition looks like. The home side, Virginia, ran out to a 47-0 victory. Also a friendly, Air Force beat academy rival Navy 26-10.