Bowdoin tops St. Michael’s for leap in rankings. /// Photo: Bowdoin Athletics / CIPhotography.com •
This iteration of the DII College Fall Top 20 includes the previous two weekends of play. Some important friendlies occurred and were weighty enough to induce some movement.
Bowdoin jumped up into the top three after winning a friendly against St. Michael’s 33-25. Both of these teams have added competitive non-league matches to their schedules to pump up the competition, and this match-up was one of the most highly anticipated of the fall season. Bowdoin’s Paige Pfannenstiel put in another big performance, leading the Polar Bears with four tries, three in the first half for the 21-5 lead at the break. Kendall Schutzer was solid off the tee with the conversions. In the second half, Pfannenstiel dotted down again before St. Michael’s rallied with three unconverted tries (26-20). The teams traded scores once more, with Georgia Bolduc dotting down for Bowdoin and Elizabeth D’Angelo adding the two-pointer before the visitors scored once more.
These two teams will not meet in the post-season now that Bowdoin is competing in Tier 2 of the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA), along with fellow Top 20 University of New England. Both Bowdoin and St. Michael’s are contenders for their respective league titles.
Upstate New York remains one of the most interesting conferences in the fall competition, and this weekend lived up to the hype. Four undefeated teams went to work, and two remain unscathed record wise. Ithaca College defeated Syracuse 39-24, overcoming an early second-half deficit. But tries from Ellen Eurich, Kaylee Howard, Emily Burdick, Noelle Carbone, Jenna Iannacci and Erin Conway contributed to the pull-away win. Meanwhile, Buffalo State edged Buffalo 12-10, and the duo remain on the watch list. Geneseo blanked RIT 62-0 to stay undefeated.
Towson has distinguished itself this season, especially after a 58-17 win over Salisbury, and has been added to the Top 20. Mary Washington joined as well after its 46-5 win over UMBC. The latter was a friendly, but it was still a big result and carries weight in a conference that has several contenders for this season’s championship title.
The rest of the Top 20 saw massive scores, including shutouts from Davenport, Winona, Bloomsburg, Kutztown, Colorado Mesa, Coast Guard and New England. Montana State, Vassar, Albany and UW Steven’s Point all had shutouts or near-shutouts in big victories the last two weekends.
DII COLLEGE FALL TOP 20
Rank (Previous Rank) Team (League record). Notes
1 (1) Davenport (2-0). Defeated Ferris State 130-0, Grand Rapids 64-0 (f)
2 (2) Winona (3-0). Defeated UM Duluth 104-0, North Dakota State 124-0
3 (3) Ithaca College (5-0). Defeated Fredonia 31-0, Syracuse 39-24
4 (7) Bowdoin (1-0). Defeated Molloy 57-17, St. Michael’s 33-25 (f)
5 (4) Saint Michael’s (1-0). Defeated Bryant 84-0, lost 33-25 to Bowdoin
6 (5) Vassar (4-0). Defeated Hofstra 84-0, Marist 38-5
7 (6) Bloomsburg (3-0). Defeated Millersville 50-0, Scranton 58-0
8 (8) Montana State (3-0). Defeated Boise State 66-5
9 (9) Kutztown (3-0). Defeated Rowan 70-0
10 (10) Geneseo (4-0). Defeated Syracuse 51-22, RIT 62-0
11 (11) Cincinnati (3-0). Defeated Thomas More 17-7
12 (12) Albany (3-1). Defeated Siena 50-5, Hofstra 28-0
13 (13) Colorado Mesa (6-0). Defeated Mines 62-5, Wyoming 118-0
14 (14) Coast Guard (3-0). Defeated Hartford 77-0, Framingham State 100-0
15 (16) Univ. New England (2-0). Defeated Dartmouth B 34-31 (f), Castleton 93-0
16 (unr) Towson (3-0). Defeated Johns Hopkins 56-5, Salisbury 58-17
17 (17) Providence (2-0). Forfeit win vs. Holy Cross
18 (15) Western Virginia (2-0). Idle
19 (unr) Mary Washington (1-1). Defeated UMBC 46-5 in friendly
20 (20) UW Steven’s Point (2-0). Defeated Northern Michigan 52-10
Curious how the various leagues are sitting standings wise? Click the links below for those competitions that maintain public statistics (note that some standings haven’t updated from last weekend’s results):
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