Championship photos: Paul Rudman / KLC fotos (see more)
In the third year of the competition’s existence, the DI Elite has named a new national champion: Lindenwood University. The St. Charles, Mo., team defeated BYU 35-7 in the semifinals and Life University 34-8 in the final to earn its first national 15s trophy.
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“I know it’s cliché, but it’s a dream come true,” Lindenwood flyhalf McKenzie Hawkins said. “Watching all of my teammates race toward each other [after the final whistle] and jump into each other’s arms, it was pure happiness. All the hard work we put in finally paid off. It’s a moment I’ll never forget.”
Just a year ago, Lindenwood was on the other end of that display of jubilation. Lindenwood lost a heart-breaker to Penn State last spring, putting in a massive second-half comeback but faltering in the waning moments. Once the sting subsided, the Lions realized that they weren’t far off. The 2017 finalists met for a fall friendly, and a convincing win in Lindenwood’s favor bolstered the team’s confidence.
More than six months later, it was time to put that confidence to the test, as Lindenwood met BYU in the semifinals. The only other time these teams faced each other was at the 2017 Las Vegas tournament.
“Even though we’ve only played them once, we really respect BYU as a program,” Hawkins said. “It’s refreshing playing a team you don’t see that often, because you have to react quicker on the field. Plus the name of the team doesn’t get in your head that much.”
Hawkins explained that the team prepared for BYU’s physicality in contact, a sometimes unpredictable attacking system, and a good kicking game. Lindenwood unleashed a balanced team game, where backs and forwards were nearly indistinguishable and connected really well. No. 8 Nika Paogofie-Buyten finished off two team tries while fullback Caring De Freitas added a third. Hawkins converted all three and added the first of three penalties for a 24-0 halftime lead.
“I thought the game was close the whole time. I felt like I didn’t realize the score until the end, because it was back-and-forth and I bet a lot of the players felt the same,” Hawkins said. “There were times we did score, where we had a few phases that connected and eventually worked the ball where it needed to be.”
Inside center Veteronnica Tafito added an early second-half try, and Hawkins kicked two more penalties. During the final 10 minutes, BYU snapped the shutout when freshman center Kat Stowers scored and Emily McFadyen converted, 35-7.
On the other side of the bracket, Life University upset Penn State 17-15, and the Running Eagles brought their share of momentum into the final. Life and Lindenwood have played each other many times and, as Hawkins explained, Lindenwood expected a fast-playing opponent that would poach a slowly supported tackle. The flyhalf expected a disciplined back-three defense, and so the kicking game would be less influential, “so we had to let the ball do the work,” Hawkins said of the attack.
“Defensively, we focused on setting up around the fringe of the breakdown and our spacing,” Hawkins credited Life’s pick-and-go game as well as the always-darting Madison Ohmann at scrumhalf. “When we watched the film from BYU, we noticed that we pinched a bit and had to work to space out, so against Life, we wanted to fold as the ball moved away because Life has the capability to move wide.”
Lindenwood’s defense certainly stood up. Everyone on the pitch, even as the subs rolled on, was so dedicated in the tackle and communicated really well. Life wasn’t without its successes, but the Lions’ defense was oppressive. The attack is so well equipped and can unleash a waterfall along the sideline with fast offloads, or send any number of hard-slicing ballcarriers into the line for entertaining breaks.
The teams were knotted at 3-3 after 15 minutes, as Hawkins and Life flyhalf Whitney Wilson traded penalties. Team play then set up hooker Destiny Arena, Tafito and outside center Teresa Bueso Gomez for tries, all converted by Hawkins. Just before the break, a stolen lineout, followed by back-to-back penalties allowed Hawkins to hit her second penalty, 27-3 into halftime.
“There were times when it was a bit messy. I think that’s just a product of nerves. It’s a big game and that’s going to happen at some point,” Hawkins said. “Maybe the best part was everyone’s mentality. Everyone was positive. We recognized that mistakes were going to happen but we had to go on and keep each other’s backs. If we trusted each other then we would be OK.”
The teams evened up in the second half, and it took approximately 20 minutes for Lindenwood to send local favorite Izzy Manu, a front row replacement, barreling over the try line. A couple minutes later, Life outside center Kaitlyn Broughton wrapped up De Freitas on a breakaway, ripped possession away and returned it for a long-range try, 34-8, the final score.
Inside center Veteronnica Tafito, who was the mark of aggression on both sides of the ball, was named Championship MVP, an award presented by USA Women’s 7s coach Richie Walker.
“Since it’s my third year [at Lindenwood], it does feel like a long time coming. My class and the grade above me would probably say the same thing. Finishing second last year left us hungry, [and this win] shows the dedication of those in the program and what our coaches do for us,” Hawkins thanked coaches Billy Nicholas and Trevor Locke.
“The 15s title is what I’ve always wanted. It seems bigger to me,” the Women’s Collegiate All-American continued. “I’m a 15s girl; this is my favorite game. There’s more thinking in 15s, and there are more players on the field so it takes a lot more connection.”
While 15s is over, the season goes on. Like Life and Penn State, there are two more 7s fixtures for which to prepare: USA Rugby’s College 7s National Championship (Glendale, Colo.) and CRCs (Chester, Pa.). Hawkins and the 7s players will remain on campus to prep for the final two fixtures of the 2017-18 season.
“I’m so lucky to be a part of this team,” Hawkins concluded. “I genuinely have the best teammates in the world and I’m so lucky they all chose to come to Lindenwood and are like-minded and all want to do big things with this program. It’s a blessing.”
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