Photos: Life University Athletics
Life University retained the Women’s CRC 7s title, defeating familiar foe Lindenwood 17-12 in Sunday’s final. The duo not only met in the 2016 CRC title bout but also the previous two USA Rugby college 7s national finals. The showdown is becoming a classic, and the two teams are setting the standard for 7s play.
“We’re always looking to improve after any event, regardless of whether we’re on top or not,” Life University coach Ros Chou reflected on the Glendale, Colo., tournament two weekends ago, a fixture that Lindenwood ultimately won. “The only tactical area we worked on was defense and so that was just body position, tracking and increasing defensive pressure. Other than that, we didn’t touch anything on attack. We played frisbee and soccer to run around, but really the focus was putting pressure on the opposition so they’d have to execute as crisply and perfectly as possible.”
That defensive focus paid off, as Life didn’t surrender a point-against until day three. During pool play, the Running Eagles blanked Bloomsburg, Clemson and Indiana, and then shut out Navy 38-0 in the Cup quarterfinals. On Sunday, Life met Dartmouth in the Cup semifinals. (see all of the scores)
“We played Dartmouth in the [USA Rugby championship] semifinals two weekends ago,” Chou said. “They scored on us twice on offloads and missed assignments around the ruck, so we talked about cleaning up those areas on defense and putting more pressure in the passing lanes.”
Again, Life took that instruction to heart, most notably as Alex Sedrick picked off a pass for a try. Life won 28-5 for the final’s berth. On the other side of the bracket, Lindenwood and Penn State found similar successes on the scoreboard. The two teams met in a cracker of a semifinal, which the Missouri Lions won 20-14.
Competition wise, Chou placed the USA Rugby championship above the CRCs, indicating that the top-eight teams in Colorado were all top notch. In Chester, Pa., the coach thought the semifinalists plus the NSCRO All-Stars and Kutztown did well to push each other. For Life, among other participants, the level of competition isn’t the only concern.
“What’s interesting is how much our university supports the CRC,” Chou explained. “There were professors on campus asking about the CRCs. It’s a big deal. ‘Oh, you’re going to nationals in Colorado? That’s great – what about CRCs in Philly?’ To have hundreds of fans in the stadium screaming and cheering for your team – our team really feeds off that. It’s a huge motivator to have family and your closest friends – all in Life gear – cheering you on.”
The team itself needed that support as a massive defensive battle ensued in the final. With a minute left in the half, Lindenwood put Caring de Freitas into the corner, and what is becoming a trademark for McKenzie Hawkins, the sophomore slotted the sideline conversion. Lindenwood took a 7-0 lead into the break.
During halftime, Chou reiterated the notion of defensive pressure and knew the team’s fitness would support that effort. An accidental hair-pull started the second half, giving Life a player advantage for two minutes.
“The women just literally ran with it,” Chou said as Darian Lovelace scored the first of her two tries. “Then we had two good kickoffs that pinned Lindenwood deep in their territory. We had a couple of messy set pieces down there and were able to score two more tries.”
Christina Swift split Lovelace’s two tries with five points of her own, while Lindenwood put Kendal McCracken away for a final score, 17-12 the final.
The tournament staff selected Lovelace as the championship MVP, but her influence goes far beyond the title-winning match.
“She has become a player in this past year who steps up when pressure is at its highest,” Chou said. “While on the sideline as the coaches were conferring about possible subs, it was very clear that we weren’t taking Darian out. We knew that when we needed her most, she would make something happen. She’s taken her role as captain very seriously. Even if she was fatigued or beat up from the weekend, she found a way to lift up the team.”
Lovelace has one more year with the Life program, but graduating seniors Kim Semiglia and Swift were competing in their final fixture for the Running Eagles. The duo transferred to Marietta, Ga., in their sophomore year and spent the previous three seasons elevating Life.
“They put it all on the line this weekend to finish a great career at Life,” Chou bid farewell.
The coach also thanked strength & conditioning coach Kimberly Knipe, who for the third year helped the squad end the season with zero injuries. Chou was also grateful for assistant coaches Laura Miller and Kevin Corley, who will be coaching the Atlanta Harlequins 7s this summer. The Quins will inherit some Life grads as well as those current students remaining in the area during break.
Then of course there was the university and supporters to thank.
“When the women got back and changed, I told them: Feel free to go and say hi to your family and friends,” Chou recounted. “The entire university – maybe 300 people – was waiting for them on the upper deck of [Talen Energy Stadium]. They lined up to create a giant tunnel for them to run through.”
The university is planning a reception on campus for when the Running Eagles return home, and the women will celebrate alongside the men, the CRC 7s runner-up, as well as the men’s club team that won the DII club national championship. Sunday was a good day for teams out of Marietta.