Grand Canyon vs. Arizona / J. Dalton Photography (see more)
The second iteration of the Division I Spring College Ranking sees four new teams join the list. These teams played their first games of the season and all have real upward potential after they play more games.
RELATED: Women’s Rugby Scores: Feb. 2-4 • DI Spring College Ranking: Jan. 29 • Support TRB: Every $ Matters!
Central Florida opened with a 71-5 win over Florida State. Cortney Kuehl lead all point scorers with 21 on three converted tries, while lock Julia Phillips also scored three tries and wing Julia Mortellaro two. No. 8 Donneisha Smith, wing Amanda Loughlin, fullback Jessica Warner, inside center Madeleine Ross and reserve Christina Norman scored a try apiece.
“I would say we are a different type of strong,” Phillips contrasted this year’s and last year’s teams. “Our new recruits have brought some great athletic ability with them and are picking up on the rugby principles fairly well.”
Second-year Grand Canyon is in its first DI season and opened with an 81-12 win over Arizona. Stay tuned for an interview with captain Jasmine Fifer. Both Grand Canyon and UCF are 2-0 due to forfeit wins on Jan. 27
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But perhaps the most interesting league to watch is the Pacific Mountain North, which contested its opening round last weekend. Washington State is the go-to in terms of predicting a leader in this competition, but Oregon State drew interest after a close 26-17 loss to the Cougars Saturday. Oregon had a good day against Washington in its 52-17 victory, and Western Washington got its first league win with a 55-10 victory over fellow newcomer Boise State. In other words, half of the competition is on the watch list for now. More to come.
Chico State retains the top spot after defeating Cal 67-7. The Wildcats started building its lead two minutes in, as center Hannah Westfall scored the first of her three tries. Forward captain Andrea Velazquez, outside center Stefani Bergerhouse (2), lock Max Brissenden (2) fullback Darby McFall (2) and reserve lock Mitzi Felix scored tries, while McFall (5) and Westfall added conversions.
UVA extended its undefeated record to 5-0 with an 80-5 win over Mason-Dixon newcomer Clemson. UNC and South Carolina both played friendlies against Division II teams and won handily.
In the Gold Coast, UC Santa Barbara got its third win of the season with a 60-33 decision over CSU Northridge – a result that saw Northridge fall off of the rankings. Although not on the ranking, UCLA beat UC San Diego 38-14.
UC Davis is back to .500 after a 49-31 win over Humboldt. The Aggies built a 27-point halftime lead, and the Lumberjacks did well to respond with 17-straight points. Davis pulled away with three tries, with Prai Harris and Sabrina Perez came up big on the scoreboard.
The Division I Elite portion will return at the end of the month, when the teams become active again. Remember that records include league/playoff games only.
