Last weekend, six DI teams contested play-in matches for the fall quarterfinals, and the victors have now filled out the Fall Round of 8, which kicks off this Saturday in Cincinnati and Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
The Rutgers vs. Michigan State match served double duty as the Big 10’s third-place match and play-in to the fall quarterfinals. Rutgers was supposed to play Indiana, but (like last season’s DI Elite run-up) withdrew from the match citing numbers issues. Fortunately, Michigan State stepped up.
Rutgers won 61-12 (read more), and saw Big 10 Forward of the Year Shai Hodges lead with four tries. Equally as influential, especially on the scoreboard, Rebecca Feliciano scored three tries in the third-place match. Rutgers is in its first year as a DI program and will inaugurate its first DI post-season against Midwest champion Minnesota. The Gophers finished its season undefeated and closed with a two-point win over Northern Iowa. Minnesota is feeling good about its chances this year, as the team is now in its third season with its Twin Cities alumnae coaching staff. Read more.
Joining Rutgers and Minnesota in Cincinnati are Rocky Mountain champion Air Force and Southwest champion Texas A&M. The Zoomies had an interesting schedule this year. Technically, Air Force, Colorado and Colorado State comprise the Rocky Mountain conference, but former league mates New Mexico and BYU contested competitive friendlies to fill out the schedule. Air Force won its league matches easily, as well as a 74-0 win over Los Lobos. The Colorado side gave BYU a good fight in a 38-12 loss, and split games against the academy teams (beat Navy, lost to Army).
Halfbacks Kelsie O’Brien and Noelle Heiser direct the performance, and flyhalf Heiser finds the try zone often. So does the entire back line, including the center pairing of Sara Cook and Funmi Akinlosotu, wing Sarah Stinson and fullback Jacqueline Hamby, who also handles conversions. Loose forwards Rhea McFarland and No. 8 Lauren Fortney are dangerous around the pitch as well and have a nose for the try line.
Texas A&M’s leadership is rooted in the 8-9-10 positions: Tyler Greenwood, Megan Urdiales and Becca Huizar. Coach Nick James credited much of the team’s success to these veterans. She also credited a large player pool early in the fall for preparing the team for a 4-0 league season. Although numbers have since slimmed down, A&M was able to play full, live scrimmages in advance of the season.
“This year’s team seems to have a better vision for what it means to be a competitive rugby team,” explained James, who made two practices and three fitness sessions per week mandatory. “The athletes that were able to travel to the 7s national championships in the spring came away with a better perspective of the mentality and fitness required to play at the championship level. That perspective has carried over into 15s and has helped the coaches in terms of our fitness and recovery requirements. They brought back with them a desire to be better, to challenge themselves, and to challenge their teammates.”
In the process, some up-and-comers have distinguished themselves. Watch for inside center T’yara Blades and loosehead prop Dominque Wermine – two dynamic players who are settling into their roles with more experience.
The other side of the Round of 8 will play out at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. This quartet features one conference champion compared to the West pool’s three. Boston College took a retributive 17-10 win over UConn, the reigning DI fall champion, in the Northeast conference final. The Eagles are on the smaller, faster side and will play the power-oriented Northern Iowa, the Midwest runner-up that won its play-in match last weekend.
The Panthers traveled to Michigan to take on Mid-American Conference (MAC) champion Bowling Green State University. The MAC had lost its automatic berth to the post-season after Kent State departed for the Mason-Dixon conference, and UNI was looking to return to the regional playoffs after missing out last year. Northern Iowa booked its ticket to New York after a 62-24 win, sending Angie McCardle, Sarah Pfeiffer, Rachel Heveron, Amity Beiner, Molly Langhenry, Emily Wetherell and Olivia Frey across for tries. McCardle also added six conversions. Read more about the Panthers’ rebuilding year.
The winner of UNI vs. Boston College will face the victor of UConn vs. Notre Dame. The Huskies took a longer route in their return to the fall quarterfinals, but are here nonetheless. The Northeast runner-up had to go through Princeton in last weekend’s play-in match, and it was a fight. Through 60 minutes, the teams were within striking distance of each other, but the final quarter saw UConn pull away for the 39-24 win. Emily Reed and Alecia Allene score two tries apiece, while Leah Morasutti, Ariana Morasutti and Marieke Page also dotted down. Christa Amoia and Lily Fontes added the conversions.
Notre Dame entered the Big 10 championship with a 6-0 record but fell 53-10 to Penn State in the final. Since the Nittany Lions align with the DI Elite post-season pathway (contested in the spring), Notre Dame took the automatic berth to the fall quarterfinals. But the Irish look good. They only graduated two players from last year’s team and hit the ground running this fall. Halfbacks Rachel Shey and Alexandra Buccilli run the show in the middle of the field, while Fiona Rutagengwa inspires the pack, and familiars like Grace McGurn, Abbi Wood and High School All-American Grace Kiraly remain influential. Fullback Sophie Asah earned Big 10 Back of the Year, while Ricardo Ramirez was named Big 10 Coach of the Year.
Click here for the current DI fall championship bracket. Reminder: There is no DI national championship. The post-season that is underway now will name a DI fall champion, and then a comparable competition (that involves California, Florida and Mason-Dixon conferences) in spring 2017 will name a spring champion. The fall and spring champion will not play each other for a national championship.
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