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Endicott College is synonymous with National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) championships, and the Gulls are hunting a third 15s title this weekend in Houston, Texas. The Beverly, Mass., team will play in the first game inside Sabercats Stadium, kicking off the DIII semifinals at 10 a.m. CT against East Stroudsburg University. [lead photo: Mike Conners @mikeconnersphoto23]
“It’s interesting because East Stroudsburg was our semifinal last year,” said Caitlin Padeck, one of four Endicott captains this year. “So to an extent, we have seen their playing style, their players and how they work, but every year is a new year. Our team changes every year. So we’re just planning to expect the unexpected and be ready for anything if we need to switch things up. We’re prepared, too.”
Padeck was a long-time soccer player before heading to college and switching it up with rugby. Endicott was already an established, successful program when Padeck joined as a freshman; the Gulls had featured in the 2019 Small College championship against Wayne State College. But Padeck’s first season, fall 2022, marked the team’s first 15s championship season. Padeck was a traveling reserve for that 2022 trip.
“I was No. 1 water girl for that,” Padeck laughed. “But it was definitely crazy going into it because obviously I just expected it to be a fun club sport to keep me in shape. But winning a national championship isn’t something that I can complain about.”
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After learning the game at wing, Padeck moved to flanker sophomore year, and ever since then, has been a quality utility player.
“For the most part it’s lock but sometimes you’ll catch me at inside center or wing, really depending on the game,” she said. “I’m prepared to go anywhere, whatever works best for the team.”
Padeck is joined on the leadership group by fellow captains Chloe Marconi (sr.) and Marin Shaffer (jr.), both of whom are forwards, as well as center Laryssa Landmesser (sr.).
“I try to get us involved with other things on campus,” Padeck said of her role within the quartet. “I do orientation for the school, so I have a lot of connections with the staff and faculty, and I like to get our team involved.
“I also like to check in with the team and make sure that everyone’s doing well – both outside of rugby and inside of rugby,” she added. “Obviously we dedicate so much time to our practices and lifts, but it’s important to check in and make sure everyone’s doing well and everyone’s getting what they need.”
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This year’s player pool is a nice mix of some pretty experienced returners mixed in with newcomers who are catching up quickly – whether seniors who joined in the spring or as part of a sizeable freshman class.
“We started off our season scrimmaging against Bowdoin College, which is a [DIII] varsity team,” Padeck reviewed the competition. “So that was obviously great competition and a great way to kick off our season and give our new players some perspective.”
Two opponents did forfeit their matches against Endicott, but the team has good depth was able to scrimmage each other.
“Yale is always a huge competition that we really have to prepare for, because it’s going to be a good game,” Padeck recalled the 24-10 and 29-19 wins against the Connecticut side. “And Smith College also gave us some really good competition this year. So between those two teams, we were really able to lock in and figure out what works best for us.”
Padeck indicated that a more balanced game marks the squad this year, with perhaps a bit more attention shifting to the backs.
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“Our forwards are very strong and we like to utilize them to get that ball down the field,” she explained. “But we’ve started implementing new plays with our backline to really get it out there and switch things up and maybe make our playing style a little more unpredictable.”
Landmesser is the captain voice in the back line, and Padeck also called out Colleen Mitchell for flourishing with a bit more ball in hand.
“She has been absolutely outstanding,” Padeck praised the junior. “I think during our regional game, she got five tries. Absolutely unbelievable. I don’t even know how she does it.
“And this year we have Laila Baer at 10 and it’s her first year playing it,” Padeck said of the former back row. “She’s picked it up very well and is great at giving instruction to the backline, as well as the forwards with where we should be. So I feel like we have a lot of strength in our forwards and our back line this year.”
The back line, and overall field, is missing the incomparable Tess Merrill, who graduated in spring 2025.
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“She’s been able to give us a lot of her wisdom, whether it was as a captain or a leader or just how to play the sport in the amazing way that she did,” Padeck said of Merrill’s impact. “A lot of us bring the same energy to practice and try to implement it into our new players.
“Obviously, she was a big face for us for a long time because she’s a very talented player, but we have done a good job at holding our own and really maintaining that standard this year,” she added. “And it’s always great to have her cheering us on from the sidelines.”
Endicott reported to the Canton, Mass., site for DIII regionals on Nov. 15-16. Unfortunately, the Gulls took a bye through the Round of 16 on Saturday, while Colby College duked out a 15-12 win against Middlebury College.
“As great as it was to be well rested before [the QFs] our team excels when we have two games back to back,” Padeck said. “Maybe we’re sore and tired, but you don’t really feel it during the game. The adrenaline is rushing and there’s just so much going through your mind when you’re playing.
“So having that bye day, honestly, made it more difficult to lock in on Sunday,” she continued. “We needed more time to get into the flow, and in that first half [against Colby] we started off behind. Colby put up a great fight, but we figured it out eventually.”
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Endicott hit its stride and won 52-17, earning the berth to the national semifinals, set to kick off tomorrow. As mentioned, it’s a rematch of the 2024 semifinal against East Stroudsburg, which debuted at nationals last year and has returned a smarter, more driven team.
“We’re both going in with that competitive mindset and really wanting to prove that either, ‘This is why we won last year,’ or ‘This is why we should have won last year,'” Padeck said of facing hungry opponents. “We all expect it to be a hard match, but at the end of the day, it’s just going to be what happens on the field, because you can’t really plan it now.”
On the other side of the bracket is Colorado School of Mines and Siena College, and they play their semifinal at 2 p.m. Central. Saturday’s victors will contest the DIII final on Sunday at 10:30 a.m.
“We have a lot of depth and we’re hoping that will play a big role in playing back-to-back matches, because even our subs and alternates that we’re bringing are very strong players,” Padeck said. “So if we need to make changes, we are confident enough to do that.
“But overall, we’re just feeling very lucky to make it to Texas four years in a row,” the senior closed. “Our team works very hard. We practice all the time. We’re always doing something rugby related, whether it’s practice, lift, film or just a team bonding activity. So I know that if people on our team aren’t doing it for themselves, then they’re doing it for the other people on the team. Everyone’s just very motivated to dig deep and lock in at nationals and win another national championship.”
For more information on things NCR nationals, visit www.ncr.rugby/teams/nationals/2025/womens-nationals.