Penn and Cornell played the closest match last weekend. / Photo: Deena Scoville
USA Rugby’s women’s DI college conferences were in full swing last weekend. These DI leagues build toward the DI fall championship and span the Northeast, Midwest and Rocky Mountains. Stay tuned for a review of USA Rugby’s DII college happenings.
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RELATED: DI College Fall Review • NIRA Week 3 Wrap-up • Scores: Sept. 15-17, 2017
BIG 10
Notre Dame (1-0) and Penn State (1-0) shut out their respective opponents during the conference’s opening weekend. The Irish got a leading performance out of Sophie Asah, who scored three tries and kicked three conversions in the 59-0 victory over Michigan State (0-1). Emma Shimek scored 13 points on a try and four conversions, while Grace McGurn (2), Rachael Shey, Fernanda Arjona and Kate Blackman also dotted down. On Saturday, Notre Dame will play Purdue, while Michigan State will look to rebound against Indiana in Big 10 West action.
Penn State doubled up last Saturday, starting with a 66-10 non-league win over NIRA’s American International College (read more), followed by a 101-0 victory over Michigan (0-1). There are many familiar names in the box score, including lead try-scorer Sophie Pyrz (3), alongside rookies like Claudia Norton, Kelsie Contreras and Emily Rowan, who scored their first tries for the Nittany Lions. Penn State will go back-to-back this week as well, traveling to Big 10 East’s Rutgers on Friday and then playing a non-league game Saturday against NIRA’s Quinnipiac.
IVY LEAGUE
Tier 2 saw two very different games evolve. Yale (1-0) controlled Columbia (0-1) in a 74-15 victory and introduced nine rookies during the match. Newcomer Genevieve Simmons accounted for 18 points on her debut. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Penn (1-0) battled Cornell (0-1) to a 26-17 win. Natalie Joseph in her first rugby game scored two tries for Penn, while Jessie Burke contributed 11 points (T, 3C) and Charlotte Matthai also scored a try. Cornell got its tries from Jasmin Strong, Audrey Perez and Kayla deLeuze.
Week 2 sees Columbia vs. Penn and Yale vs. Cornell. The Tier 1 teams play their first league games on Sept. 30. Remember that three of four Tier 1 teams also belong to NIRA and have been active.
LONESTAR
The reworked conference is now a DI/II hybrid, but last weekend’s games pit same-division teams against each other. DI Texas A&M (1-0) dominated Texas (0-1) in an 82-0 victory and got multi-try performances out of Rene Chidozie (4), Bex Huizar (3), Chelsey Brown (3) and Tyara Blades (2). Julissa Soliz and lyssa Maki also scored tries, and Huizar tacked on five conversions.
UT San Antonio (1-0) bettered Texas State (0-1) 71-32.
MIDWEST
Northern Illinois (2-0) served Iowa State (1-1) a 34-10 loss, and once again saw wing Nia Pappas lead on the scoreboard with two tries and two assists. Michelle Corkery, Kelsey Duquette, Rafica Faci and Jessica Stabenow also scored tries.
Northern Iowa (1-1) rebounded from its first-week loss to NIU and shut out Iowa 85-0. Freshman Hannah Fultz (Valley / Iowa Hawkettes) and Dakota Jeppson scored three tries apiece, wihle Megan Salyars (2), Emma Frey (2) and Molly Langhenry (2) also had multi-try performances. Maggie Kleyer and Talia Pulley scored their first tries for the Panthers.
Finally, reigning DI Midwest champion Minnesota (1-0) built off its All-Minnesota Tournament title run with a big shutout win over UW Madison (0-1). Minnesota led 69-0 before the game was deemed a forfeit and saw Ophelia Loree (3) Danica Mooney-Jones (2), Kristin Tanner (2), Megan Navrati, Sarah Huffer and Ashlee Beauchamp all score tries.
NORTHEAST
The Boston College vs. Northeastern game was postponed for weather, and so the Boston University (1-0) vs. UMASS (0-1) game was the only league match of the weekend. Tricia Post, Samantha Perez Menendez and Olivia Heutlinger scored two tries apiece in Boston’s 85-0 win over UMASS, while Regine Jacques, Molly Winsten, Bhakti Patel, Julia Yoder, Analisa Arguello and FNU Arohi dotted down one apiece. Jacques (5) and Patel (4) handled the extras, and another seven points came from a penalty try.
DI fall runner-up UCONN played a friendly against DII St. Michael’s College and triumphed 75-0. Rachel Gomes (3), Brianna Kinnie (3), Allison Gorman (2), Shayna Kennedy, Sara Rothery and Christa Amoia scored tries. Rothery (5), Amoia and Kaitlyn Akerley (4) kicked the conversions.
This Saturday pits Boston against Rhode Island, and UCONN against Boston College.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN
Air Force (2-0) and Utah State (1-1) won their respective league openers by big margins, but it was the academy team that kept that trend alive in week 2. Air Force defeated Utah State 69-5 in Colorado and saw nine players contribute points. Flyhalf Noelle Heiser led all point-scorers with 19 on eight conversions and a penalty, while outside center Olufunmilayo Akinlosotu dotted down three tries. Loose forwards Devin Doyle, Ashlee Salato and Lauren Fortney, scrumhalf Kelsie O’Brien, center Kaylee Eskeli and wings Haeley Deeney and Sarah Stinson scored a try apiece. Utah State flyhalf Hallie Taufoou, who scored 49 points in week one, accounted for her side’s try.
Air Force plays its third-straight home game against New Mexico (0-1) Sunday.
In non-league play, Montana State (1-0) defeated Boise State 43-27. Mara Maus, Ivanna Lopez and Lexi Olson (2) scored first-half tries, and a Maria Michelotti conversion put Montana State up 22-10 into the break. Michelotti converted second-half tries from Ashton Daniels, Bridget Kilcrease and Renee Oelkers – a tally that Boise State met before game’s end. Boise State has applied for inclusion in the DI Pacific Mountain conference and is playing Central Washington this weekend.