It has been a tumultuous year for Notre Dame College, but the Falcons have been able to win – big – behind the stabilizing leadership of players like Hannah Gauthreaux. The junior has been on the 7s radar, having already played internationally for teams like Atlantis and Tiger Cubs, but she’s had to lean on a different set of skills to navigate the Falcons through a tough spring.

After winning the DII fall championship, Notre Dame College played an anemic spring schedule that included two 15s games and hosting a 7s tournament. The team watched as eventual nationals opponent UC Riverside advanced through the spring playoffs and had the unique advantage of scouting the Highlanders during their penultimate performance of the season. Riverside had film on Notre Dame College, but the Falcons looked drastically different from the squad that won the fall title.

“We had almost a completely different roster and played a lot of freshmen from the fall,” Gauthreaux said of the team that played at Kennesaw State (Ga.) on May 9. “The winter had been really hard, too, and then going into the heat – that climate change was tough. We were on our back foot initially, since we weren’t coming out of the 15s season like they were.”

Gauthreaux made sure that the team focused its attention internally and pushed its own game plan, rather than worry about what Riverside was bringing to the pitch. The center acknowledged key performances from newcomer Charity Edwards, a rugby rookie who not only started at lock but has become one of the team’s best players. She’s also a great asset in 7s. Fellow Southern Californian Marcaya Bailous, also new this year, made the most of her start at No. 8 and propelled the team to a 69-10 victory.

“We weren’t cocky, but we were confident,” Gauthreaux said. “They played better than anticipated and were harder than our December 15s games.”

The national championship was Notre Dame College’s first, and although it was the forwards’ dominance that decided the game’s outcome, it was Gauthreaux’s calming influence that helped the Falcons play above some potentially disruptive circumstances.

“It was special because I didn’t really expect it,” Gauthreax said of the MVP nod. “I usually get recognized in 7s, but not really in 15s. I just tried to be more teamwork-oriented.”

As trying as the year has been, it isn’t over yet. The Falcons committed to the CRC 7s, an event that is occurring after the school year has concluded, and a new set of hurdles has emerged.

“I didn’t expect us to disperse all over the place,” said the 7s captain, who stayed in Euclid with a few teammates during May. “Half of the girls are training with Tiger Rugby in Columbus, two are in New York and will be meeting us at the CRCs. We’ve been working out on our own. Today [Tuesday] was our first practice.”

Notre Dame College worked on its pattern play yesterday, is focusing on skill work today, and then leaves for Chester, Pa., tomorrow.

“It’s going to be interesting,” said Gauthreaux, who is also acting as coach. “When we hosted our 7s tournament at school, it took us a game to warm up. At CRCs, we’re not going to have that warm-up game: Life University is first, and they’re a strong team.

“I’m worried, but we have the talent and athletes to do well,” Gauthreaux added. “We don’t have the years rugby-wise, but we have a good chance of going far into the competition.”

Sixteen players will be convening in Chester, Pa., for the 12-team tournament, and the Falcons will lean on players like Leah Walsh, Karmin Macedo, Bailous, and Najya Jordan, in addition to Gauthreaux, to finish atop a challenging pool that includes Life, Arizona, and Kutztown. If the Falcons play to their potential, then they’ll likely have to unseat Penn State, the reigning CRC and national 7s champion, in the final, but the path to that victory would include a slew of cleared hurdles. Fortunately for Notre Dame College, that’s a skill they’ve been honing all year.