Vassar fullback Rachel Elson scored four tries against Geneseo. /// Photo courtesy Vassar Athletics •
It’s playoff season and so rankings need weekly updates. The DII Fall Round of 32 occurred last weekend and saw teams vanish from and debut on the rankings.
The game of the weekend evolved between Eastern Kentucky and Kutztown. The former earned Ohio Valley’s second berth to the post-season, but that meant a 10-hour drive to Pennsylvania for the opening round of the fall championship. To say that Eastern Kentucky is familiar with hardship is an understatement (as discussed in this article), and the visitors prevailed in a 33-31 victory over Kutztown. Consequently, Kutztown falls beneath the previously unranked Eastern Kentucky in the rankings, opening up some space in the top half of the list.
Illinois State also played a cracker of a match against Great Lakes #2 Grand Valley State in a 19-17 victory. The Illinois rep jumps onto the rankings at #20. Vermont joined as well after its 24-12 win over Roger Williams, which had played a very close league match against Saint Michael’s to end the Rugby Northeast regular season.
Saint Michael’s was one of five teams that received byes through the first round of the fall playoffs. Perhaps the Vermont team, along with MARC champion Bloomsburg and Ohio Valley champion Cincinnati, appreciated the extra week of rest, considering their league schedules and relative levels of competition, but teams like Davenport and Montana State could have used the field time. The Panthers especially have struggled for games, and last Saturday’s match would have been at home, same with Montana State.
Around the rest of the bracket, it was mostly blowouts. Winona put 104 points between itself and UW Steven’s Point; Vassar crushed Upstate New York runner-up Geneseo (now gone from the rankings) 72-12; Buffalo State defeated RPI 61-5; West Virginia overwhelmed St. Joseph’s 75-5; UW La Crosse beat St. Cloud 57-12; and Coast Guard silenced Maine-Orono 32-0. Albany defeated Colby 32-12 in the next-closest match.
And finally, NIRA’s Bowdoin and New England played a rematch for the Tier 2 title. The Nor’easters had won the first game, but the Polar Bears regrouped for a 33-22 win on Saturday.
The DII Fall Round of 16 and quarterfinals occur this weekend. Click here for the full bracket.
DII COLLEGE FALL TOP 20
Rank (Old Rank) Team (League & post-season record). Results
1 (1) Davenport (4-0). Idle
2 (2) Winona (6-0). R32: Defeated UW Steven’s Point 109-5
3 (3) Vassar (9-0). R32: Defeated Geneseo 72-12
4 (4) Bloomsburg (8-0). Idle
5 (6) Montana State (7-0). Idle
6 (8) Bowdoin (4-1). Defeated UNE 32-22 for Tier 2 NIRA title
7 (7) Univ. New England (4-1). Lost 32-22 to Bowdoin in Tier NIRA championship
8 (10) Buffalo State (11-0). R32: Defeated RPI 61-5
9 (9) Saint Michael’s (5-0). Idle
10 (14) Coast Guard (9-0). R32: Maine-Orono 32-0
11 (15) Albany (7-2). R32: Defeated Colby 32-12
12 (12) Towson (7-0). Idle
13 (13) Mary Washington (5-2). Idle
14 (17) UW La Crosse (7-1). R32: Defeated St. Cloud 57-12
15 (18) West Virginia (5-0). R32: Defeated St. Joseph 75-5
16 (19) Cincinnati (5-1). Idle
17 (unr) Eastern Kentucky (6-1). R32: Defeated Kutztown 33-31
18 (5) Kutztown (7-2). R32: Lost 33-31 to EKU
19 (unr) Vermont (8-1). R32: Defeated Roger Williams 24-12
20 (unr) Illinois State (5-1). R32: Defeated Grand Valley State 19-17
#FallRanking