Photos: Jackie Finlan
UC Davis won the 2016 and 2017 DI College Spring Championship titles, and while the Aggies graduated noteworthy talent last year, there was a well of athletes waiting to step into those vacated positions. But injuries plagued the northern Californian team, and growing pains gripped UC Davis as it finished 3-5 in the Pacific Mountain Rugby Conference (PMRC) West. But after months of growth and patience, it finally started coming together for UC Davis, and the Aggies are heading to spring regionals as the PMRC #2 seed.
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“There are a lot of new players … but the real key is getting a class of players with a few seasons together,” UC Davis coach Kai Neevel qualified the importance of experience. “This team is going to start [that journey] here, with that progression into the next season.
“It’s been a much different season,” the coach reflected on the previous two years. “But the nice thing is, having lost to Stanford and Chico twice, and coming into this tournament and having success, we’re peaking at the right time, or we’re hoping so heading into the next round.”
The team that featured at the PMRC seeding tournament this weekend had been showing promise and entered its Saturday match against PMRC North #1 Washington State with some positivity. The teams traded scores during the first 40, and the Cougars led 17-12 at the break. Washington State extended to 22-12 in the second half, and then the Aggies responded with four-straight tries (a stat to be repeated the following day) for the 36-22 win.
“I don’t think many people expected us to win. … It was all about convincing them that they could do it,” Neevel said of pre-game preparation. “We had real good energy come on with our subs. [Captain] Becca Graff, who is coming back from injury, came on and was able to give a good punch to the team when they were a little down.”
This weekend actually marked Graff’s first weekend of play since her ACL reconstruction. She returns to a forward pack that accounts for a lot of the experience this year. Although Davis was always known for its balanced attack, in the recent past, it was the work in open space and with the back line that was particularly special. Today, leaders like Graff, Brenda Erickson, Renee Lewis and Lovey Corniel are a selection of players who drive a poised, unselfish forward game.
The backs are younger, with freshman Sammy Kerrigan stepping in at flyhalf for injured captain Becca Lehman. Kerrigan has high school experience and had subbed into a couple of games, but there was an element of uncertainty entering the weekend. Kerrigan more than quieted concerns with her stellar performance across back-to-back games. Fullback Prai Harris was the standout, slipping out of contact when there was no room and threatening with every carry. She scored the first try in both games this weekend.
On Sunday, Corniel scored the second try against Stanford, which advanced to the second-seed match with a 97-17 win over Oregon State Saturday. The Cardinal got on the board when No. 8 Lia Ferguson dotted down and flyhalf Olivia Bernadel-Huey converted. The duo teamed up again, with the loose forward breaking free for a damaging run and then offloading to the halfback in support for the corner try. Bernadel-Huey added the best conversion on the day from the sideline, 14-10 to Stanford.
Davis lock Liza Wilkinson then beat some limp tackling five meters out from the corner to retake the lead, and then Stanford answered with two forward tries – one from a driving maul, another from a pick-and-drive campaign – to take a 24-15 lead into the break.
The Aggies pulled to within two after Harris scooped up a loose ball inside Davis’ 22 meter and calmly set up wing Kat Thompson – another entertaining player – for a long run, side step and try. Stanford responded immediately, marching down field and pressuring three penalties that eventually forced a yellow card. No. 8 Ferguson scored 10 minutes later, and Stanford took its biggest lead of the game, 31-22, with 15 minutes to play.
“We talk a lot about a ‘flow state,’ getting together and playing together as one,” Neevel prefaced the comeback. “You could see it in their eyes; they were committed. So even if they were missing a tackle, it wasn’t because of a poor effort. They were all committed to every part of the game. … When we’re in that place, we feel good things can happen.”
During the last 12 minutes of the game, Davis rallied with four tries, just building from one score to the next. A Harris line-break set up Erickson for the dive-over, and then the fullback’s second try of the game put Davis ahead for good, 32-31. Center Bri August scored minutes later, and then Wilkinson capped another forward drive with a final try. With Kerrigan’s conversion, Davis won 44-31.
“We’re just continuing to instill that belief in themselves, that we’re doing the right things, and we’re moving in the right direction,” Neevel spoke to the next two weeks’ objectives. “We’re looking at this whole thing as a new season. … Everything is gravy from here on out and we’re going to do our best to prepare.”
PMRC #2 Davis, #3 Stanford and #4 Washington State (interviews and photos from the latter two teams are forthcoming) will join PMRC #1 Chico State at the DI spring regional championships April 20-22. Which teams are competing at which sites – Stanford or BYU for the west – are to be announced.
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