Colby-Sawyer Leading NIRA Division III

Colby-Sawyer College competes in Division III of the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA), but prior to NCAA varsity status, the Chargers existed as a club team. There were growing pains during the transition but a strong core of players, now juniors and seniors, nurtured a culture that has attracted strong recruitment classes these past two years. Today, the Chargers are the contenders for the DIII title.

“We’re really lucky. Our team is filled, across the board, with women who want to see each other succeed,” Colby-Sawyer College head coach Ken Pape said. “Even during the recruiting process two years ago, the ladies [from the club team] knew that they were probably recruiting people who were going to take their starting roles. … But I always promised those players that since they were here from the beginning, they’d always have a spot on the team.”

Captain Jordyn Enos, vice captain Darrian Sweatt, Olivia Randlett and Kaylie Demitraszek are the veterans leaders, and they drive a “next person up” mentality that translates into selfless attitudes. Pape continues to do the work on the ground, seeing lots of high schoolers in lots of events around the country, and finds the right players who fit into that mindset. This year’s freshmen class includes student-athletes from California, Idaho, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin. Colorado, New Jersey, New Mexico, Vermont and Virginia are also represented in the sophomore class.

This year, Colby-Sawyer’s second season competing in NIRA, Pape had to make cuts and was honest with players and their positions on the depth chart.

“At Colby-Sawyer, we want everyone to enjoy their experience but at the same this is not a participation sport,” Pape said. “The ultimate goal is to win a championship.”

Off the pitch, Pape has leaned on a valuable resource – the NIRA coaches – for support. The NCAA landscape can be an intimidating one to newcomers, but a collaborative ethos unites the varsity rugby coaches. In particular, Pape has called on Becky Carlson (Quinnipiac), Kathy Flores (Brown), Austin Hall (Norwich) and MaryBeth Mathews (Bowdoin) for their collective expertise.

“They’re all making sure I’m not making rookie mistakes when it comes to NCAA stuff,” Pape said. “Becky Carlson has been invaluable to me, especially in helping me understand how to communicate with the athletic director, because I’ve never had to do that before. Going from club rugby with Rutgers to varsity with an AD is apples to oranges.”

This season NIRA reorganized into Tier 1, Tier 2 and Division III competitions, and that separation has seen more parity. Ideally, the league will field DI, DII and DIII competitions, and be more familiar to those athletic departments considering NCAA status for its women’s rugby teams. Forty is the magic number for NCAA championship status.

Colby-Sawyer competes in DIII alongside Bowdoin, Castleton, University of New England, New England College and Norwich. The Chargers started the fall with a 94-5 friendly win over Tier 2 Molloy College, piquing attention around the league. Norwich, which had defeated Colby-Sawyer 59-19 last year, followed in week two.

“When we met as a team in pre-season, I liked what I saw, but Norwich is a powerhouse team and has been so good for so many years,” Pape said. “In the coaches poll, I had them picked ahead of us.”

Norwich took the initial lead and then five lead changes followed into the second half. Colby-Sawyer then rallied for a 34-15 win. Pape was impressed with the team’s resiliency and knew that asset would come in handy against Bowdoin. The Polar Bears had played the Chargers to an 18-10 loss at the end of last season, so the expectation was for another close game.

“I dove into the film and their attack, because every coach has tendencies and being able to look at those trends and build a game plan off that, it really gave us an upper hand against Bowdoin,” Pape said of preparation. “They’re such a tough team and playing at their house was kind of scary.

“Before the game, the captains pulled the team aside,” the coach continued. “They said: This is why we’re here. This is the game we practiced for. … Let’s show that we deserve to be in this league.”

Colby-Sawyer won 38-8.

“This is the most physical team I’ve ever coached,” Pape said of the team’s unique qualities. “Our defense just gets after it. There are no excuses; nobody’s hiding. If you look at the stats from the season so far, the tackles are spread out. There isn’t one person making the plays. Same with the tries. Our kicker [Julia Anhalt] is on fire, too. She has missed three conversions so far.”

The University of New England is next, and it will be the first time that Colby-Sawyer faces Ashley Potvin-Fulford’s program.

Keep an eye on Enos, a former varsity basketball player who joined the 7s team a few years ago when the club side was short on players.

“She scored five tries in her first 7s match and had no idea what she was doing,” Pape reminisced. “In my opinion, she’s good enough for the USA 7s team. She’s physical, has amazing footwork, deceptive speed and power. She’s 5’4”, 135 lbs. and out-lifts my props, who are 5’9” and 175 lbs. … The kid’s a machine and we’re lucky to have her. I hope USA Rugby has a look at her because she needs to be playing at the next level.”

Twins Bailey and Jess Burt are sophomores and, “were unknowns when I saw them play in a game two years ago for South Burlington,” Pape said. “Their team had 16 kids and the other team had 30, and the twins dominated the field and made the opposition look like they were walking.”

There are more gems in the new class – Madison Hill has been playing well – and it’s been coming together nicely for a team that’s comprised mostly of freshmen and sophomores. The big test will be the Oct. 26 rematch against Norwich, a game that will tell the team whether that first win was a fluke or a true indication of Colby-Sawyer’s strength.

In the meantime, the Chargers’ lead the DIII rankings and hope to host a Nov. 9 semifinal en route the to the DIII national championship.

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