Vassar College Women’s Rugby has won the National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) Division II 15s National Championship, ending its undefeated season with back-to-back wins against Coast Guard and UW Eau Claire. Junior fullback Jude Robinson was named championship MVP, while junior lock Julia Wolff was selected by captains as the Heart & Soul Award recipient.
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Division II culminates with a Saturday semifinal / Sunday finals format, and it all happens at the Houston SaberCats’ home, Aveva Stadium. The final four started with Univ. Wisconsin Eau Claire and Cincinnati, and the Blugolds put up 36 unanswered points against the Bearcats. The tries were finished by six different backs — Megan Ludy, Kloee Chamberlain, Maggie Behnke, Caitlyn Skattebo, Cerys Ridd and Kaitlyn Buckli — and fullback Ridd handled the extras. The win meant a third-straight trip to the DII national final.
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After two years in NCR, one can now confirm that Vassar knows how to harness early-game momentum really well. In its semifinal against Coast Guard, Robinson and opportunistic scrumhalf Sophia Bailey scored quickly, and Zoe Lynch’s conversion made it 12-0. Also characteristically, the Bears know how to fight back, and anytime it felt like Vassar was pulling away for good, Coast Guard started chipping away. No. 8 Kate Boggs was particularly willful and scored two tries on the night.
But overcoming a 24-point deficit, at this stage of the season, is a tall order, and that’s where Coast Guard found itself with 25 minutes to play. Vassar was able to break up Coast Guard’s blocks of momentum with their own tries, and on the day, Robinson (3), Bailey (2), Leah Dourmashkin and Tate Wagner all dotted down. Lynch kicked two conversions. The Bears put together some nice series late, and when the centers linked with Jas Mendez, some fun, fast rugby followed. Vassar won 39-27.
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When Vassar and Eau Claire met in the 2023 finale, there was a very different storyline. The Wisconsin team was the reigning champ from NCR, and the Brewers were the reigning fall champion from CRAA. The Brewers (and Coast Guard, and a bunch of DII teams) had switched over to NCR from CRAA in fall 2023, and so there was a bunch of intrigue around how these two teams and organizations would square up. The answer? Evenly. The title was decided by three points.
In 2024, the storyline aligned more with the traditional rematch. The reigning champ had to hold off a hungry contender. Eau Claire had a bit of a rollercoaster of a post-season, but its shutout in the semifinals showed it was finals ready. Vassar, too, was ready, funneling a year’s worth of experience and intention into Sunday’s showdown.
Jude Robinson / Photo: Jackie Finlan/TRB
Again, Vassar came out of the gates looking for the try zone. Bailey went quick from a penalty for a big gain, then forward punches set up ball to the backs, and Robinson finished the series in the try zone. Lynch added the conversion, 7-0. Eau Claire looked ready to tie it up, as Behnke, who had the best step on the day, went for a big run. Vassar is good about sending waves of corner-flaggers, and even though Behnke got around two defenders, Bailey made the tackle on the third attempt.
But Behnke had done well to get the game in attacking territory, so even when Eau Claire gave up a penalty, there was little panic. Then Bailey did Bailey things, tapped quickly through the mark, spun out of a tackle and went 80+ meters for the try, 12-0. Minutes later, No. 8 Yasmeen Kassem-Scott went for a big sideline run, and Eau Claire fullback Ridd did well to make the tackle and poach possession. As dynamic as she is as a ballcarrier, Ridd is truly impressive in how deadly she is in the poach.
Sophia Bailey / Photo: Jackie Finlan/TRB
Eau Claire attempted to run the ball out of its 22 and Maddie Sumrow picked off a soft pass. The inside center spun around in a shirt grab and handed off to wing Dourmashkin in support for the try. Lynch hit the extras for a 19-0 lead that held through halftime.
The Blugolds got on the board approximately 15 minutes into the second half. Behnke got around the back line and then a devastating cutback saw the center into the corner. Bailey came across for the tackle and the TMO was needed to verify the grounding. “All good,” said the instant replay! Vassar led 19-5.
Maggie Behnke / Photo: Jackie Finlan/TRB
In between was a lot of forwards work. Vassar did some long-ruck phases with its forwards, which are led by pack captain and prop Andie Auders, but it wasn’t necessarily the anchor its been in the past. The Vassar backs aren’t as green as they were last year and that diversified the attack. And Eau Claire wasn’t overpowered. Players like Kahlyn Geiger, Lily Walrath, pack captain Kaitlynn Moore and Heart & Soul winner Heidi Schmelzer consistently leaned into contact. The backs just couldn’t get around the Vassar defense — with a couple of exceptions in Behnke in Scattebo. When Ludy put the ball to boot, some exciting options appeared, just perhaps late.
In the 66th minute, Dourmashkin ran in Vassar’s fourth try: 24-5. There were still 15 minutes to play, but three scores felt unlikely. The teams continued to slug it out, and the Brewers held on for the title win. More photos.
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Coast Guard ended its weekend in Houston with a 29-7 win against Cincinnati for 3rd place. The Bears took NCR bronze in 2023 as well. The Bearcats made their first appearance in NCR nationals this year.
So what comes next? NCR hosts an annual all-star 7s tournament for conferences that wish to compete. There are two divisions — one for DI/DII teams, and one for DIII — and the 2025 iteration is shifting from Austin to Atlanta. The spring is mostly for 7s, although teams like Vassar run a heavy 15s schedule, and then the late-April CRCs marks another title opportunity for multiple divisions to win 7s trophies.