Photos courtesy of Davenport Women’s Rugby
Davenport University won its second consecutive Women’s DII College National Championship, but the path was anything but familiar. The Grand Rapids, Mich., team fielded a different squad from the one that won the fall championship – which afforded the berth to nationals – and spent the spring with one eye on the 15s title and another on qualifying for 7s. Compound that with an opponent that employed an unconventional defensive tactic, and Davenport had its work cut out for it.
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The weekend before reporting to Marietta, Ga., Davenport was in Kutztown, Pa., winning the ACRA 7s championship. The team had two 15s practices in advance of the bus trip south and used that time to completely rework its game plan. It was a necessity when preparing for spring champion Kennesaw State, which relied on the tackle-only, no-ruck distinction to place defenders on what looked like offsides positions for potential interceptions.
The tactic was a topic of interest during the spring championship, but Davenport Greg Teliczan delivered the solution: Keep the ball in tight, work the pick-and-goes and gain yardage slowly. He relied on the leadership of veteran forwards like Brenna Donahue, Allison Miedzielec, Amy Plambeck and Veronica Overbeek to keep the pack on track.
“Yes, that was going to be the deciding factor – sticking to the game plan,” Teliczan said. “They understood it, they just needed to stay calm, be patient and make smart decisions. We didn’t really know what we were getting in to, so there were some nerves.”
There were also nerves about the depth of bench with only two reserves available. By minute 20, both were used as Tressa Keim (and her broken ankle) and hooker Elizabeth Hoeksema came off. That said, the positional switches saw some breakout performances, like flanker converts Madison Baldwin and Tamarin Joubert, praised big time by Teliczan. And players with a semester of experience – like wing Adriana Martinez – stood up to immense pressure.
Despite all of the concerns, the game started – quickly – in Davenport’s favor. Three minutes in and wing Madison Sparks scored two of her five tries, which originated from a turnover on the kickoff and a hard-charging return on the restart.
Kennesaw State then settled into its no-ruck defense and Davenport settled into its forward game, marching downfield. Teliczan was pleased as scrumhalf Olivia Ortiz, flyhalf Hannah Tennant and outside center Danielle Ordway managed this game plan shift, but the coach credited all of the players for knowing their roles. A knock-on deep in Kennesaw State’s end did end Davenport’s first forward campaign, but then the pack turned over the subsequent scrum and Ortiz scooted in for the try.
By minute 26, the Panthers had replicated its DII fall championship scoreline (37-0 win against Winona), as Plambeck and championship MVP Ordway scored two tries apiece. Flyhalf Tennant added a conversion.
Kennesaw State described itself as a second-half team but a lot of ground had been ceded. Nonetheless, the Lady Owls started to build some momentum on offense, as power runners like Abigail Wehr, Hailey Wilham and Chelsea Jones made the north-south gains, and inside center Caitlane Fricia remained elusive the entire match. With a yellow-card advantage, Jones powered across the line for the team’s try.
Davenport led 42-5 at the half and added 29 unanswered points in the second half as Donahue, Sparks, Ortiz and Ordway all scored. Credit to Kennesaw State for never giving up, especially Akilah Guzman, who streaked across the pitch to chase down breakaways.
“Kennesaw is a big, physical team,” Teliczan compared the Lady Owls’ physicality to Winona, Vassar and Cincinnati. “The players said it felt more like a 20-5 game. They’re feeling it.”
But there’s no question that it was a comprehensive win, and Ordway was at the center of it.
“She just gets it,” Teliczan spoke to the MVP’s place on the rugby pitch. “She scores tries, she sets them up, but she does a lot of the little things that go unnoticed.”
The coach recounted the last try of the game, as Ordway broke down the sideline and Guzman flew into view in pursuit. Ordway positioned herself and timed the offload just right so Sparks in support could finish in the try zone.
Ordway and team have a week to properly enjoy their second DII national championship before returning to the pitch and readying for the USA Rugby 7s championship. The Panthers will be the only DII team competing in the 12-team open field, which includes the DI Elite and DI spring champions. No doubt a challenge, but Davenport knows how to overcome them.