Two undefeated teams are heading to Saturday’s Midwest Division II Club Championship, and the winner will seal its spot in the USA Rugby regional championship (aka, national quarterfinals) in May 2020. The East named its champion, Cincinnati Kelts, after the East Gold and East Green pools contested crossover semifinals and then a final. The West Gold and West Green combined into one competition this year, and Palmer College emerged as the top program.
There were supposed to be eight teams in the DII West, but the Illiana Banshees withdrew, and Oconomowoc and County Will Morrigans forfeited a few games. Palmer College ended up with five regular-season matches and outscored opponents 388-22.
“I think we are just happy with the group of girls we have right now,” Palmer College head coach Glen Maricelli reviewed the squad. “We really just like to have fun with each other on Saturdays. We play our best footy when we keep it loose.”
There’s a good mix of leadership and rising talent in the Iowa program. Leilani Zinsli serves as captain and directs the game from scrumhalf. The halfback pairs nicely with flyhalf Claire Tomashek, a select-side regular with a great boot (36 conversions, and six tries, this fall) who, per Maricelli, “always turns up for us on Saturday.”
Midwest veteran Stephanie Snoeberger is a hub of experience and the power prop has averaged a try per game. Skyler Zawko has great speed on the wing, and the 24-year-old leads the team with 13 tries this season. As for rising talent, Kaylynn Smith, the former Kansas State standout, is drawing attention and making an impact from flanker.
“We feel like she is something special,” Maricelli lauded the 22-year-old who’s accounted for seven tries this fall.
The regular season wrapped up at the end of October, and then the top-two teams in the standings – 6-0 Palmer and 5-1 Milwaukee Scylla – met for the West final match and berth to the Midwest championship. The teams had played each other in their season-openers on Sept. 7 and played to a 19-10 first half before the Dragons pulled away with a 40-10 win.
“Whenever you play Scylla you go into it knowing that it’s going to be a physical game so in terms of that: Yes, it was difficult,” Maricelli considered the former DII national champion. “We trust our system and game plan, so as long as our boxes are checked we know we’ll be fine.”
The West final, however, was more decisive. Zawko finished off two first-half tries to give Palmer a 10-0 edge into the break, and then added two more in the second half. In addition to kicking two conversions, Tomashek also scored a try, and the Dragons led 29-0 until the final five minutes of the match. Scylla snapped the shutout with a converted try and Palmer’s 29-7 win secured the West title.
“We made it to the Midwest Championship two years ago so a few of the girls have an idea of what to expect,” Maricelli looked ahead. “Our turnover rate is pretty high so most of our team consists of players who haven’t been playing rugby for very long. They are eager for the experience. But like I said before, we are just going to keep it loose and trust our game plan. It hasn’t let us down yet.”
The Cincinnati Kelts await in Saturday’s Midwest championship. The Ohio team went 5-0 in regular season and outscored opponents 208-19, but one of those victories (against Louisville) was a forfeit win. Columbus pushed the Kelts in a 21-12 league match, and the team banked some valuable insight into its strengths and weaknesses heading into the knockout stages. The Kelts proceeded to beat East Gold runner-up Pittsburgh Forge 27-3 in the crossover semifinals, and then faced Buffalo in the East final last weekend. In 2018, Buffalo ended the Kelts’ post-season run with a 13-10 win during crossovers.
On Saturday, however, Cincinnati dominated from the outset. Outside center JaLisa Elkins scored minutes after kickoff and then added two more tries in the first half. Hooker Adrienne Cusick (2), inside center Kinsey Bryant-Lees, wing Courtney Moore and reserve Kathryn Waligura added tries, while scrumhalf Danielle Bass kicked three conversions and Bryant-Lees added a fourth. The Kelts led 48-0 until the closing minutes, when Buffalo banked a converted try in the 48-7 final.
“We play and win as a team. Our advantage is in our ability to stick with the game plan no matter what is happening on the pitch,” Kelts vet Monica Christian summarized. “We look forward to a good, hard match against Palmer. We are prepared for anything that will be thrown at us.”
Saturday’s Midwest Club Championship occurs at the Chicago Blaze’s home pitch in Lemont, Ill., and will see six finals on the day, and the victors (save D4 men) will advance to nationals in the spring:
11 a.m. D4 Men: Findlay v Chicago Blaze
12 p.m. D3 Men: Queen City v Fox Valley
1 p.m. D2 Women: Cincinnati Kelts v Palmer College
2 p.m. D2 Men: Pittsburgh Forge v Wisconsin
3 p.m. D1 Women: Chicago Lions v Metropolis
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