Ohio Valley is one of several DII college conferences entering the post-season this weekend, and reigning champion Cincinnati is looking for a repeat berth to the fall regionals. [lead photo: Sami Harrell via JP Leong]
This year Cincinnati is working with approximately 30 active players and has a healthy ratio of vets to rookies. The team prides itself on player retention, and returners are eager to engage newcomers and employ their knowledge base.
“Having so many vets that are willing and able to help teach the rookies the sport makes it way easier to continue bettering ourselves as a team,” Cincinnati captain Jorey Bischof explained. “The rookies are able to pick up the basics much more quickly and we can then move onto more advanced strategies.”
Jorey Bischof / Photo: JP Leong
Bischof plays an important role in perpetuating that buy-in and knows that cultivating a positive, inclusive environment affects on-field performance.
“A lot of teams get frustrated when they’re making mistakes and end up taking it out on each other, which in my opinion just makes people play even worse,” Bischof explained. “I do my best to make sure that any criticisms I may voice are always level-headed and constructive. I want our team to be great, but I also want everyone to actually enjoy themselves when they’re playing.”
No winning formula is complete without experienced, dedicated coaching, and Cincinnati is lucky to have head coach Nick Geary at the helm. He is one of four coaches driving perpetual improvement. All of the pieces have been melding well this fall, and Cincinnati went 6-0 with four shutouts during league. Eastern Kentucky, however, pushed the team to a 19-15 decision.
Allison Kossen / Photo: JP Leong
“They’re usually our strongest competition each year and we’ve consistently battled for the conference championship for the past few years,” Bischof noted.
Bischof plays flanker and is the voice in the forwards, while Justine Perl and Meredith Hinger lead the backs. Meanwhile, two newcomers – fullback Maddy Conklin and lock/No. 8 Allison Kossen – have flourished this fall.
“Neither of them had any prior rugby experience but they’re both tremendous athletes and have picked up the sport extremely quickly,” Bischof lauded. “I’m continuously impressed by how well they read the field. [Conklin] in particular has been great at knowing when to insert into the back line and when to drop back for defense.”
Maddy Conklin / Photo: JP Leong
The team advances through this weekend’s quarterfinal round since Cedarville forfeited; same goes for Ball State after Western Kentucky forfeited. Cincinnati will face the winner of Kentucky vs. Ohio University in the semifinals, and Ball State will face the winner of Eastern Kentucky vs. Miami University of Ohio on Oct. 28. The final is Nov. 4.
Traditionally, Ohio Valley has received two spots to the DII fall Round of 32, with the conference winner hosting its match and the runner-up traveling. The brackets have not been released yet to confirm. Regardless, Cincinnati is hoping for a deeper run this year. The previous three seasons, the team’s post-season has ended with Davenport University.
“It’s definitely been a frustrating experience, but I think it has helped us grow and improve,” the captain reflected. “It’s hard for us to find teams that play on that high of a level. I think a lot of our players would get psyched out when we faced them, and our performance definitely took a hit as a result.”
After consecutive national championship titles, Davenport was promoted to Division I this season.
“This year, I’m very optimistic that we’ll at least make it to the round of 8 again,” Bischof enthused. “The past two years we haven’t had trouble with any of the other teams in playoffs besides Davenport, so I’m hopeful that this will be the year we advance onto the [fall] final four. This is my last year playing for UC, and making it to the final four would be an amazing way to end my time here.”
The conference championship is Nov. 4 at Miami of Ohio. The fall Round of 32 follows on Nov. 11, and then the regional Round of 16 and quarterfinals follow.
Cincinnati does a great job keeping followers updated. Check out the team’s site for match reports and more.
All Comments
Pingback: Cincinnati Into New Territory - The Rugby Breakdown