The Women's D1 Elite college competition remains a small one, but a crucial one in the way high-level players are being developed.
With Lindenwood, Life, Central Washington, and Penn State the only teams there, it's a short season and everyone makes the playoffs. But the D1 Elite is a little different this year. The key change is that it has shifted to the fall. What that means is the teams have a more compact, denser season in the fall culminating December 3 at the CRAA Fall Classic.
(The Fall Classic is expected to host the Women's D1A, Fall D1, and Fall D2 finals, along with some Men's D1A bowl games.)
The teams involved play each other (mostly) and add in games against well-regarded women's programs or women's clubs. Of the 25 games we have on the schedule so far, only six are between D1 Elite teams (Penn State and Lindenwood won't meet but Lindenwood and Life play twice). The remaining games are against women's clubs (10 of those games) and other colleges (nine of those).
These are not patsy games by any means. Of the games against women's clubs, four of the opponents are WPL teams and five more are close to that level. Only the Phoenixville White Horse club, a D2 side in Pennsylvania sltted to play Penn State in October, could wouldn't fit into those categories. Both Life and Penn State are facing off against New York Rugby Club.
The college opposition is tough, too, with NIRA (NCAA Varsity) sides Army, Lander, and Queens University Charlotte both scheduled against Penn State. Navy, soon to be a NIRA program, will host Central Washington, and other strong college teams including University of Victoria, BYU, and Virginia.
There is some thought that in future years these teams could play each other twice through the fall, but right now what you have is four teams with fairly robust fall schedules, capped off by the semifinals on November 19 and the final on December 3.
