First-year Queens University debut on the rankings. / Photo: Amy Nicholson
The DII College Spring Ranking is always difficult. Unlike its fall counterpart, leagues have the freedom to compete entirely in the fall, in the fall and spring, or in the spring alone. So those teams that are vying for the DII College Spring Championship are all in different parts of their season until playoffs. There is volatility in the ranking, so it will update every week.
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First, several of last year’s post-season players are out of contention. Grand Canyon, Western Washington and South Carolina, for example, are all competing in Division I. The Capital conference named its post-season reps in the fall, and champion George Washington and runner-up Catholic University have snapped the trend of Mary Washington, Towson or Salisbury extending into the spring.
The 2017 spring finalists Kennesaw State and Tulane are the frontrunners, but these two Southern Independent Rugby Conference (SIRC) members haven’t contested a matrix match yet, and thus aren’t represented. We considered holding the ranking until they got league games in, but there is always a threat of forfeits in SIRC.
So, in sorting the remainder of the field, we considered the obvious – record (league games only), results, strength of competition, important friendlies – and also took general notes from last year’s spring playoffs as regards the relative strength of conferences. The following is not a prediction; it’s a snapshot of where the teams are today:
Our pick for No. 1 so far is UN Reno. At 4-0 in the West Coast, the Wolfpack has been posting massive point differentials, and on the road – which is no easy feat when every opponent is located west of the Sierra Nevada. On back-to-back weekends in December, UN Reno beat Sacramento State and UC Santa Cruz by a combined 175-22. Centers Tito Taylor and Audrey Snow, and fullback Lacy Ray have scored seven tries apiece, and flyhalf Rachel Aldax has contributed 61 points on 28 conversions and a try.
Reno shares similarities with Fresno State: Both are winning handily, have 40+ players registered, and see their backs finish most scoring opportunities. Jenna Balestra, Jacklyn Blankenship and Alexys Gonzalez have scored four tries apiece so far. Raquel Macias has slid in to scrumhalf this season, as Moriah Halteman has yet to make an appearance. The Bulldogs had everyone beat last year, and we’ll be comparing results until March 10 when Reno and Fresno State meet.
Last year we underestimated Kansas State, and the team came within three points of Kennesaw State in the regional playoffs. The team is missing graduate Chloe Weston, the No. 8 who accounted for 228 points (38 tries, 19 conversions) last year, but has stability in its return halfbacks, Kaylynn Smith (13 tries) and Lauren Chlebansowski. And center Bri Leonard is on track to break her tries-scored from last year. The team presently has 20 players registered, which is also a concern, but the team nearly advanced to the spring semifinals with those numbers last year.
John Brown actually led Kansas State until the final minute of play in the teams’ fall draw. These two teams were good competition for each other last year, but Kansas State won the series 2-1 en route to the Mid-America conference title.
Capital finalists George Washington and Capital fall in next, having had the busiest fall throughout the ranking. They already have a taste of post-season play and they’ll need to find a second peak this spring. Last year, both Capital reps bowed out in the first round of playoffs.
UNC Charlotte and Queens University of Charlotte, a first-year program, are the teams to beat in the Carolinas. While the Mean Green has competed at spring regionals (lost to Kennesaw State and then fell three points short of Mary Washington), everything is new to the Royals. Last Saturday, Queens needed to rally from a deficit to eventually beat College of Charleston 41-31.
“This match was extremely valuable in terms of gaining experience competing while under pressure,” Queens Director of Rugby and Women’s Head Coach Katie Wurst explained. “A number of student-athletes were placed in new roles, and I’m proud of the way we were able to adapt in the second half. Any time you come away with a victory in a close contest it’s all about how well the team is able to reflect, and learn from the experience. College of Charleston forced us to step up, and we truly appreciate the intensity.”
Abby Tobias, Ella Brucker and Asiah Peterson scored two tries apiece, while Tori Wilson also dotted down. Hannah Struzyk kicked three conversions. The teams are scheduled for a Feb. 17 meeting.
Eckerd’s Kat Scheerer and Ally Gallagher helped the South to an NSCRO all-star title. / Photo: Nathan Kovacs
The Gold Coast teams come in next. The league is in its early stages, and is one of two leagues that begins playing in January. So far UC Irvine and Claremont, last year’s top-two teams, are looking strong, but 1-0 Long Beach State is on the watch list as well.
Eckerd head coach Mike Geibel indicated that the team is much stronger than last year and players are being picked up for the USA Rugby South representative teams. Several players also helped the South to an NSCRO All-Star 7s Championship earlier this month. The DII Florida league is struggling, with Florida Atlantic folding and Miami forfeiting this week’s match. As soon as Eckerd gets some games, there will be a better gauge to advance.
Missing from the lineup is Eastern Washington, which is now the only DII team in Cascade. At present, the team’s schedule features NSCRO teams. If Eastern Washington ends up playing a DII or higher team in a friendly, then they’ll be added to the ranking. NSCRO teams can obviously be strong, but these Pacific Northwest colleges are developing.