You’ve got to hand it to the women’s college sector of the Rocky Mountain conference. The league is challenged at best, with its seven teams hailing from Idaho, Utah, Colorado and Wyoming, and putting some opponents 12-plus hours away from each other. The leadership continually wrestles with the most accommodating solutions, a process that is always hampered by weather and inconsistent participation. The conference held its championship last weekend, but it was preceded by an imperfect path.

This fall, the league divided into East and West divisions, but cancellations and forfeits meant there weren’t enough matches and head-to-head competition to make the standings relevant. Clearly frustrated, the conference will, going forward, require teams on May 15 to declare their intentions for the upcoming fall season. Then the leadership will have ample time to subdivide the competition and schedule crossover games.

But that’s next year. USA Rugby and the conference looked at this year's league games and considered friendlies before naming last weekend’s semifinalists. Mesa State and Colorado College represented East #1 and #2, respectively. The former had beaten Colorado College 17-5 and 24-10 during the regular season. In the West, the seeds came down to the final game between Utah State and Utah Valley. In the teams’ early-fall game, USU pulled off a thrilling one-point victory, but UVU exerted itself in the rematch to overcome the point differential and secure the top seed into playoffs.

Last Saturday, Mesa State ended Utah State’s hopes for a final’s berth with a 33-10 win, while Colorado College nursed a heart-breaking 26-24 loss to Utah Valley. UVU went on to beat Mesa State 19-0 in the final and earned an automatic bid to the Sweet 16 of the USA Rugby Fall Championship, hosted by ACRA. But Mesa State still had life; the #2 team also earned a seed in the Round of 32 and could play into the national playoffs. Unfortunately for the Colorado team, too many injuries precluded a longer season, and it ceded its post-season berth. It didn’t help that the Round of 32 game was supposed to happen in less than a week in Maine.

But those circumstances didn’t deter Colorado College, which had beaten Utah State 41-25 on Sunday for third place. When Mesa State forfeited its playoff spot, CC jumped on the opportunity, and is the better team. Colorado College played Utah Valley better than Mesa State, which also doesn’t have the depth to compete in a lengthy playoff season.

“Mesa is always a formidable regular season opponent, so Colorado College took no pleasure in a long-time conference rival for whom we have great respect … having to concede the #2 due to massive personnel losses going into and coming out of conference playoffs,” Colorado College coach Amy Rusert said.

“All teams knew an at-large bid was on the table,” Rusert added. “Colorado College was crushed with the last-minute [semifinal] loss, but fully realized that, at playoffs in particular, penalties against us would be capitalized on. And in the 77th minute, a dangerous-tackle penalty 10 meters from our goal line, just off the posts, could – and did – cost us the game.

“CC dominated in the first half, and we simply didn't make adjustments to our backline defense in the second half after UVU rearranged some of their personnel in their backline,” Rusert added. “This was my error – coaching error – not player error.”

While this is an air of “second chance” in Colorado College’s continued playoff run, this opportunity couldn't have been realized if the program wasn’t well supported, both personnel and finance wise.

“We've incurred some injuries over the course of the season, but we've been fortunate with a relatively deep roster for such a small school," Rusert said. "And by and large, we have a healthy squad excited to travel and play a NCAA program. It will be a great litmus test for us. Additionally, the school is financially supportive when our men's and women's teams advance to nationals, and our CC Rugby family and friends are always financially supportive, for which we are grateful, as the men will advance for the fourth time in five years and the women for the second time in as many years.”

It’s no small task, or ticket, to organize a cross-country trip for an entire rugby team in less than a week, but Colorado College did it. An even bigger challenge awaits as it prepares for Saturday’s Round of 32 game against host Bowdoin College, which has allowed five points-against all season.

For the full national DII playoff picture, see the brackets here.