Photo: Christina Politano
When Bryant College alumna Rosie Harter (’10) returned to her alma mater in spring 2012, the player-turned-head coach inherited a program that was unable to field a 15s team. Four years later, the Rhode Island squad has grown from 11 players to A and B sides that are competitive in the DII Rugby Northeast. Those achievements received even more applause last Saturday, when Bryant defeated Saint Michael’s 24-12.
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Saint Michael’s is the two-time reigning conference champion and has finished in the top two every season since the Rugby Northeast formed. Last year, Bryant lost 84-0 to the Vermont squad. Those scorelines are tough to take, but that early-season game saw Bryant readying for a year of developing its depth.
“Last year we had B side games after all of our conference games, so that helped us build a strong team overall,” Harter said. “So even though some players would only have one year of experience, we knew we’d be really good in certain spots. Just giving them that chance to play more often last year enabled them to play strong this year.”
When the team returned for the fall 2017 season, it focused on some of the other holes it had around the pitch. The anticipated flyhalf is studying abroad, and so new No. 10 Sarah Felkel took over the decision-making role and is doing a phenomenal job. Also standing out are young players like fullback Courtney Wheeler and dynamo flanker Devyn Analoro, whom Harter described as “the smallest person you’ve ever seen but tackles every person and is at every ruck. She’s the best support person and will follow you into the try zone.”
Photo: Linda Lubinsky
Bryant challenged itself with pre-season games against New England Wide champion U.S. Coast Guard Academy and DI varsity Brown University, and then won its season opener against Saint Anselm 114-5.
Saint Michael’s followed.
“I think they were a little nervous – rear-view mirror syndrome,” Harter said of pre-game jitters. “We’d been swept so many times by St. Mike’s, and then they scored in the first five minutes and that put us back in that mindset. But it was off a silly breakaway and we regrouped. At halftime, it was 5-5, so it was pretty even.”
During the halftime break, the team talked about shoring up rucks, defensive line speed and ramping up the kicking game to challenge Saint Michael’s handling. Flyhalf Felkel was able to kick through the lines and send the speedy back-three to recover.
Lock Erin Davis led in the way of the rucking game and continued in her role as “an unsung hero,” according to Harter. Chelsea Doucette continued to intimidate would-be tacklers and she utilized her diligent support with constant offloads. No. 8 Brianna Zemotel brings similar go-forward, although she zig-zags a bit more with ball in hand, bringing a different element to the attack.
The second half belonged to Bryant, which sent Doucette, Nyatasha Jackowicz and Wheeler (2) across for tries. The B side also won its match.
“They were beyond themselves. I’ve never seen them so happy,” Harter said of the players’ reaction. “For them, they looked at the rest of the season like, ‘This is our chance to make it to nationals.’ … They’re usually taken out of contention after the Saint Mike’s game.”
Local rivals Roger Williams and Providence College are the main foci for the rest of the season. The conference names its champion on season-end standings and typically receives two berths to the DII fall Round of 32, which begins Nov. 11-12. The following weekend (Nov. 18-19), the Round of 16 will be divided into four pools at TBD sites, and then the final four meets Dec. 2-3 for the fall championship.