Just one move in the second DII Spring College Ranking of the season, as the majority of the field was idle and ranked teams won their respective games.
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Eight of the 12 ranked teams were idle last weekend, and a ninth team – UNC Charlotte – had its matrix canceled due to weather. With that said, there was move among idle teams.
Both ranked teams from the Pacific Desert played and won their league games. Claremont defeated Occidental 66-7 and got its tries from Kendal Kipper (2), Maya Nichols, India Soranson Way, Nana Esi Igyan, Ali Parker, Dayla Woller, Molly Ferguson (2) and Madeleine Masser-Frye. Parker added seven conversions.
Long Beach State topped UC Irvine 34-5 and got a leading performance out of flanker Shannen Cruz, who scored three tries. Jamie Conlon added nine points on a try and two conversions, while Isabella Kubes and Alanna Butron also scored. Additionally, the watch list’s San Diego State improved to 2-1 with a 54-29 win over UC Riverside.
West Coast’s Cal Poly SLO won its sixth-straight match – 49-12 against Santa Clara – and moved past Eckerd College into third place. The Sirens will play their first league game this weekend but the difference in field time needed to be accounted for in the rankings.
Santa Clara (4-2) was on the watch list heading into the weekend and still is after leading the Mustangs for the majority of the first half. Heading into the final five minutes of the first stanza, Santa Clara led 12-5 as Camille Sem and Carley Fowler scored and Maggie Avery converted. Cal Poly broke up the scores with a Kaela Lee try, and then Angelle Marshall and Kaela Lee scored two quick tries before the break. Charlotte Henry added a conversion for a 17-12 edge.
The opening 10 minutes of the second half was a battle for momentum, and then Cal Poly started to pull away as Sage Reardon (2), Abrielle Jens, Lee and Henry all scored for the win. San Jose State is also hovering outside of the top-12 and Cal Poly head coach Zach Markow gave Santa Clara the edge for its defense and toughly contested breakdowns.
Some of the idle teams will take the pitch this weekend. In the Carolinas, the College of Charleston and Coastal Carolina match draws attention. As mentioned, Eckerd College will play its first matrix game in Florida. The New Orleans Mardi Gras tournament will also see several ranked teams like Alabama and Pittsburg State take the pitch.
