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Pioneers’ Reed: Gains Possible During Adversity

  • 06 Apr 2021
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Sacred Heart University (SHU) played its first 15s game of the 2020-21 season and celebrated with a 17-10 win against Mount St. Mary’s University (MSMU). The Pioneers will play fellow DI National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) programs in Quinnipiac University and Long Island University this month, and those outings will be nice rewards for a year’s worth of discipline.

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The rugby team knew in advance that fall 2020 – NIRA’s championship 15s season – was cancelled due to Covid-19. All students had the option to attend most classes either online or in person, allowing flexibility for varying risk tolerances and ever-changing home, life, family situations.

“I was skeptical how the fall would play out but I have to give Sacred Heart University a lot of credit on how they handled it,” Sacred Heart head coach Michelle Reed reflected on Covid-19’s impact on the school year. “SHU was also very open and informative with communication to the whole university community by providing updates every day on policies and positivity rates. We had the same approach with the team. We wanted them to know we were here to support them in all aspects first and foremost.”

There was an adjustment period as Reed and staff tried to accommodate player pods of 10, but once everyone found a rhythm, the group was able to focus on core skills and strength training. By the end of October 2020, the team was able to assemble and introduce contact before shutting down campus after Halloween.

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“One of the things I love about the current team is that they took all the policies and restrictions seriously, as they just wanted the chance to play,” Reed praised the team. “They came in with the intention of playing at some point in the year and they decided as a team to follow every safety protocol that was implemented. The team was very serious and they will call out other athletic teams on campus if they are not following the policies. The attitude is: We are here and we want to play and not be sent home especially on our accord.”

With that vigilance came some wear, as the restrictions and their daily changes challenged even the most optimistic. So the staff adjusted its approach for the spring, knowing that an opportunity to actually play games was a possibility. The year started with team Zoom meetings and yoga sessions, and the squad created its intentions and goals for the spring before stepping onto the pitch. This progression united the team, and players were motivated to be successful.

“First, was creating stronger bonds within the team and understanding everyone’s DISC profile,” Reed recited the team’s goals. “The COVID-19 restrictions have made it hard to connect with teammates and have actual team-bonding events, so finding a way to bond this spring was a priority.

“Second, we want to become better students of the game,” the coach continued. “We created a goal of watching rugby every week and asking questions at practice.”

The third goal revolved around strength and conditioning – increasing weights and timed conditioning where progress could be gauged each week.

“The student-athletes felt that not only would conditioning make us a force on the field but also make the games more fun,” Reed noted. “The last goal is actual game stats. We track stats yearly and this year the team came up with their own percentages for each aspect of the game that they feel would help us be successful in every match. We will be using these percentages to evaluate our individual and team skills and game success.”

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The Pioneers were only training in pods for a week before the team was allowed to train together. Progress as a unit developed quickly, and as the prospect of a spring season intensified, so did the team’s focus. The patience and hard work finally paid off, as Sacred Heart traveled to Emmitsburg, Md., for a March 31 match against the Mountaineers.

“Our student-athletes had not played in 1.5-2 years so there were a lot of jitters going into the game, but that was overshadowed by the excitement to be back on the field,” Reed recounted the pre-game vibe. “We were aggressive on defense around the ruck and had many great cover tackles to help keep us in the lead. When we executed our plays, they were successful. We will be working in practice this week to clean up the set pieces and work on our defense as well as offense.”

The visitors built a 12-0 lead after tries from Makena Wright and Stephanie Wilson, and then the home side answered with a try. Wilson dotted down to reinstate the 12-point lead, and the Mountaineers ended the game with a final try, 17-10 to Sacred Heart.

“We know that MSMU is always great competition and an aggressive team that does not back down,” Reed noted. “We knew it would be a tough match and MSMU made us work for the win. They were great at counter-rucks and disrupted our quick ball at times. MSMU also had a great drive in the scrum. One of the things MSMU also did well was utilize their kicking game, and we are focusing on our back three to improve the counter-attacks.”Reed praised the whole team and the energy that every player brought to their roles.

“If I had to pick out some standouts, senior Isabel Cuddy had a strong performance on the wing and sophomore Samantha McGann came out strong for her first collegiate rugby game of her career,” the coach enthused. “Junior open-side flanker Nia Williams did a lot of the small fundamentals to lead us to the win, and sophomore tighthead prop Samantha Carroll, and senior loosehead prop Kaitlin Lagase did great getting us past the gain line with the crash ball.” Reed also made a note of freshman scrumhalf Nicole Kimball as someone to watch the next few years. The coach called the newcomer motivated, fearless and solid last Wednesday.

“This win proves to the team that the sacrifices they have made to get back on the pitch were well worth it, and that even in times of much adversity, we can make gains,” Reed closed.

The Pioneers play fellow DI NCAA varsity teams Quinnipiac (April 7 & 16) and LIU (April 24). Tomorrow’s game can be viewed live here.

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