Photos: Diane Ramage
In its first two outings of the spring 7s season, Dartmouth has won the the Ivy League 7s Championship (read more) and the all-NIRA Brown 7s (read more). The Big Green has outscored opponents 345-62 so far, and is looking to be a solid addition to the USA Rugby College 7s National Championship.
During Saturday’s Ivy League 7s Championship, Dartmouth opened with a 29-14 win over Yale, and then followed with a 31-7 victory over Penn. Pool play ended with a 33-7 victory over Princeton. On the other side of the bracket, Harvard bested Cornell 64-0, Columbia 40-5 and Brown 46-5. In the semifinals, the Crimson defeated Princeton 24-7, while Dartmouth took down Brown 40-0.
In the final, it was all Dartmouth. Freshman Lilly Durbin and senior Rachel Hand scored two tries apiece, and freshman Idia Ihensekhien added a fifth. Durbin and junior Kat
Ramage added a conversion each in the 29-0 win.
Ramage in the final with Durbin in support. / Photo: Diane Ramage
After Saturday’s Ivy tournament, which brings all eight teams together into one competition, Dartmouth head coach Katie Dowty told Dartmouth Athletics:
“This tournament was an all-around team effort for us, with 15 players taking the field over the course of five games. The collective effort allowed us to push the pace in the later rounds, putting up 69 unanswered points in the semifinal and final, with good ball movement and interplay on attack. Our connection and control on the defensive side of the ball had been our focus headed into this weekend, so we were very happy so see that improve over the course of the day.”
Co-MVP Frankie Sands / Photo: Diane Ramage
Fourteen players have contributed points thus far, and 7s Eagle Durbin leads all point-scorers with 105 on 17 tries and 10 conversions. Ivy 7s Championship co-MVP Sands, who shared the honor with Princeton’s Jessica Lu, follows with 75 points on 15 tries, and sophomore Casey Smerczynski has also impressed with her five tries.
The Ivy League 7s Championship affords an automatic berth to the USA Rugby College 7s National Championship, and so Dartmouth will feature in the May 18-20 tournament in Glendale, Colo. The Big Green will continue its build to the national tournament this weekend, as it heads to the NIRA championship at Bowdoin. The Polar Bear 7s serves as NIRA automatic qualifier.
Marin Pennell looking for support / Photo: Diane Ramage
Ivy 7s Final Standings
1. Dartmouth
2. Harvard
3. Princeton
4. Brown
5. Penn
6. Columbia
7. Yale
8. Cornell