BYU in last year’s DI Elite final /// Photo: Jackie Finlan
The Davis, Calif., pool has a head start on the Women’s DI College Spring Round of 16, as games kick off on Friday and quarterfinals follow Saturday. At 12 p.m. Pacific, Chico State will face BYU, and host UC Davis will play Arizona State at 2 p.m. The Rugby Breakdown will be on site for coverage.
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2016 DI Elite finalist BYU is an independent team and scheduled teams like Davis, Lindenwood and Central Washington into its spring lineup. The Cougars’ final tune-up occurred on April 8 against the visiting Wildcats, and the host won 41-32.
“That Central Washington game gave us an opportunity to gauge our overall game, most importantly fitness, set pieces and general play. The team has been working on that for the past two weeks,” BYU coach Tom Waqa explained. “During that game, we found out that we can put points on the board, but we also gave up a lot of points – some easy ones. So defense will be the key component going forward.”
Nicole McCullough serves as captain and manages the game from halfback. She deploys a backline that includes fun players like Ali Smith, Jess Peterson and Analise Arnold – all of whom featured in the 2016 final. Vice captain Grace Taito is the physicality that marks BYU, and she’s joined by notables like Rebekah Hebdon and Justina Grubb, who will set the tone against Chico State on Friday.
“Chico State, we know them from the past, is a physical team, and they do well in the contact area, so we look forward to the challenge,” Waqa added. “The players are excited for this trip.”
Chico State had a thrilling end to its Pacific Mountain Rugby Conference (PMRC) season. The NorCal team competed in the third-place bracket and defeated Oregon 27-26 on day one, and Washington State 22-21 on the last play of the game on day two.
Loose forward Mo Ayala and prop Rebecca Newlin had a great weekend in tight, and Kayla Vasquez was huge on the wing, scoring four tries, including the game-winner against Washington State. Watch for Darby McFall and Stefani Vincino-Bergerhouse in the backs as well.
BYU is favored in this clash, but Chico State has some home-field advantage, enjoyed a natural build-up into the post-season and is riding the momentum of conference playoffs.
Davis and Chico State return to playoffs. /// Photo: Jackie Finlan
The other Spring Round of 16 match pits host UC Davis against Arizona State, which finished second in the Gold Coast. The Aggies are the reigning DI spring champion and look as strong as last year. This year has seen a couple of DI Elite teams – BYU and Lindenwood – travel to Davis for friendlies, and those games have educated the squad on the look of the next level.
“The BYU friendly was an opportunity to gauge where our rookies and sophomores were at developmentally. We are excited about their progress,” UC Davis coach Gary Gordon reflected on the 30-10 loss in early February. “As far as takeaways from that game, it helped us identify breakdowns in our defensive structure, what attacking strategies work and do not work versus rush defenses, and gaps in our support, angles of support and arrival time at tackle.”
Flanker Erin Martin runs the agile forward game, while center Sydnee Watanabe – an MA Sorensen finalist – is the heart of the back line. The team is a fun one in action, and the Aggies will have everyone they need for Friday’s clash.
Arizona State is the only team that doesn’t share a common opponent in this pool. The Sun Devils earned a berth to the DI Spring Round of 16 when it defeated 2016 leader UC San Diego in southern California during the Gold Coast semifinals. The very next day, Arizona State was in Tucson contesting the conference title – a tall ask travel wise – and fell 45-22.
Arizona State certainly has the capability to surprise teams. It beat Arizona 45-26 in the first of three meetings. Back three players Julia Cornella, Madelyn Blank and Allyson Weaver were tough to contain, as were loose forwards Makayla Dillingham and Kallie Larson.
The two teams that win on Friday will guarantee their spots in Marietta, Ga., the semifinal/final site for the DI spring championship and DI Elite national championship. Saturday’s spring quarterfinal winner will be filtered into the latter competition, and the loser will advance to the DI spring final four.