Photo: Carley Going
Akin to its DI counterpart, Division II colleges name separate fall and spring champions. In December, Winona State took home top honors (read more), and now the remainder of the field will vie for the spring trophy.
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With nine teams all having to play each other, the CAROLINAS conference plays matrix games across the fall and spring. Standings will set up the conference playoffs (March 17) and championship (March 24). In the fall, UNC Charlotte and Queens University posted similarly large victories, and their best league competition in teams like College of Charleston, also undefeated, and Coastal Carolina awaits this spring. Games begin this weekend.
The CASCADE conference has shifted this year. Western Washington departed for the DI Pacific Mountain and the majority of members are small, rebuilding schools. Therefore, there will be no DII or NSCRO 15s championship in this league. Eastern Washington is the only DII team and it will be applying for an at-large bid to the USA Rugby 15s regional playoffs this spring. Western Oregon, the strongest of the small schools, is traveling to CSU Monterey Bay for an unofficial NSCRO West Coast 15s championship.
NSCRO has been trying to deepen its presence on the west coast, and a berth to the 7s championship might be on the table. In that case, Lewis & Clark, which is coached by ORSU stalwart Claire Lundy, could be a nice addition.
FLORIDA played a few matrix games in the fall, but the majority of the season will play beginning January 27. Reigning champion Eckerd is the reigning champion and started the season with a 49-5 win over Florida Gulf Coast. See the schedule.
There have been a few changes in GOLD COAST as well. Grand Canyon left for DI, Mira Costa College joined, and a host teams have new head coaches, including 2017 champion UC Irvine, which picked up Emily Ogata. Runner-up Claremont College is realigning its post-season path. Eligible for NSCRO, the Foxes will pursue the DII 15s spring playoffs should they qualify, with hopes of also pursuing a berth to the NSCRO 7s national championship in Pittsburgh. League games begin January 20. See the schedule.
MID-AMERICA merged the east and west pools to form one competition, and all nine teams must play each other across the fall and spring. The highlight of the fall was the John Brown vs. Kansas State match. John Brown held a 14-point lead at the 65-minute mark, with tries coming from Vashti Smith (2), Karlie Bright, Alexis Barnes and Rebecca Baugher, and three conversions from Micah Wood. Kansas State send Aubrey Rech and Bri Leonard twice into the try zone, while Lauren Chlebanowski added two points for a 31-17 scoreline in the fourth quarter. In the final five minutes, Emily Wessel and Jayden Weers dotted down and a final Chlebanowski conversion tied it up at the death, 31-all.
We expect to see this duo vying for a spring regional championship berth. Check out the current standings.
The South Independent Rugby Conference (SIRC), home to both the 2017 spring champion (Kennesaw State) and runner-up (Tulane), will kick off on Jan. 27 (see the full schedule). Teams in each pool contest four regular-season games in advance of the conference playoffs on March 17-18. Note that Life University will enter its JV team into competition but will not participate in the post-season.
We ran a WEST COAST update on Dec. 8, and league will resume on Jan. 20. Check out the current standings.
Finally, CAPITAL wrapped up its league and championship in the fall but will send George Washington to the DII spring championships. Catholic University will also likely receive a berth to regionals, which begin April 7-8.