Photo courtesy USCG Women’s Rugby •
The DII fall colleges have narrowed down to 16 title contenders. Four sites will host Round of 16 and quarterfinal matches on Nov. 19-20, and the victors will advance to the final four on Dec. 3-4.
For the completed brackets, click here.
MIDWEST
Cincinnati and Davenport received byes through the Round of 32 and will initiate their regional post-seasons against each other on Nov. 19. Cincinnati will have the home-field advantage, but they’ll need it against the reigning national champion. Illinois State took the cake in terms of drama, defeating Great Lakes runner-up Grand Valley State University 19-17. ISU will face Allegheny champ West Virginia, which defeated MARC #3 St. Joseph’s 75-5 today.
MID-ATLANTIC
Like the Midwest, this region fielded only two matches today, as Bloomsburg and St. Michael’s received byes through the Round of 32. The University of New Hampshire forfeited its match to St. Michael’s, which had every intention of playing Saturday.
But also like the Midwest, a single-digit decision punctuated these regional playoffs. Ohio Valley runner-up Eastern Kentucky defeated MARC runner-up Kutztown 33-31. Meanwhile, Coast Guard kept its undefeated streak alive and topped Maine-Orono 32-0. The Bears will play Bloomsburg next Saturday, while Eastern Kentucky faces St. Michael’s. The games occur at Kutztown University.
NORTHEAST
Three conferences are represented in the Northeast’s portion of regional championships next weekend. Geneseo’s hard running challenged Vassar’s tackle completion early on, resulting in a 15-12 scoreline to the Brewers at one point. But multi-try performances from Rachel Elson, Laila Blumenthal-Rothchild and Nathalie Freeman aided the 72-12 win against the Upstate New York runner-up. The Brewers will face Vermont, which defeated Roger Williams 24-12 today, in the Round of 16.
On the other side of the Northeast bracket, Tri-State runner-up Albany defeated New England Small College champ Colby 32-12 today. Albany will now face Upstate New York champion Buffalo State, which defeated RPI 61-5, in the Round of 16 next weekend.
WEST
Montana State got the Round of 32 bye and will face UW La Crosse in the Round of 16 Saturday. The Great Waters champion defeated St. Cloud State 57-12. The Wisconsin team was one of three Great Waters representatives vying for aWest regional berth. Runner-up Marquette was also successful, defeating Western Illinois 39-15, and will face Winona next weekend. The Black Katts topped UW Steven’s Point of Great Waters 109-5 in the biggest result of the day.
Click here for the full DII College Fall Championship bracket.