While Penn State celebrates arguably the most successful month that any college team has ever experienced, the teams in its wake are brainstorming paths to similar heights. Lindenwood is in the midst of an aggressive overhaul, one that began with first-year head coach Billy Nicholas, continued with a dedicated group of players, and is being realized through 7s. After a 7th place finish at its first national college 7s championship, the Lady Lions finished second at yesterday's CRC 7s in Chester, Pa. The exposure has refined Lindenwood's goals, which will be pursued in a new fall competition and host of new players.

THE CRC started with shutouts against Delaware and Boston before the competition picked up. Pool play ended against American International College, and the Yellow Jackets took a 5-0 lead into the break. Lindenwood has become quite adept at second-half rallies, and as long as the defense holds, the surge can often produce wins. Such was the case on Friday, as the Lady Lions tacked on two converted tries to win 14-5 and finish atop Pool C.

"This was a big one for us, as the tension between these two teams could be felt from a mile away,” Lindenwood coach Billy Nicholas indicated. “We have been at the same tournaments but never had the chance to play one another. Our girls were a bit bitter after being ranked below AIC, so it was nice to come out and get this win for the program."

Entering the semifinals as the #2 seed, Lindenwood lined up against #3 Notre Dame College. The Falcons (which are going DI in the upcoming season) had won a DII 15s championship earlier in the month and proved their 7s game was in top form after an opening-round 19-12 win over Life (a game that essentially relegated the Running Eagles to the Plate competition, which they won).

"We knew going into this match exactly what our game plan was going to be against Notre Dame College,” Nicholas said. “We would make their playmakers create things from nothing because we weren't going to give them anything. NDC has some talented players, and we respected that, but at the same time we knew collectively if we could execute our system we would win this match."

A great game unfolded, and Notre Dame College took the lead into the break.

"When I went out to speak with the girls at half, I just reminded them we have been here before, to rely on our game plan and exploit their weaknesses as discussed,” Nicholas said. “It was just a matter of execution from that point out."

And once again, the Lions rallied for a 24-17 win and berth to the final against Penn State.

THE NITTANY LIONS were looking intimidating – two national championships in the month of May, and two-time reigning champion at the CRCs. But Lindenwood had everything to gain as the underdogs and took to PPL Park for the second time that weekend.

Breakaways from Amanda Divich and Kendal McCracken – two of the top playmakers on the weekend – were pushed into touch to prevent any first-half scores, while Penn State saw Tess Feury and Katie Mueller touch down, and Meya Bizer convert, for a 12-0 lead.

“We had some opportunities against Penn State, but we didn't capitalize,” Nicholas said. “We gave two scores away with two dropped balls in our own try zone that led to easy scores for PSU. Entering the second half, the plan was to calm our nerves. This group of players with the average age of 19 is a young squad and got a bit nervy in the final.”

Sticking with tradition, Lindenwood answered with a converted try to bring the scoreline to 12-7 with three minutes remaining. But Brie Barto and Bizer ended the game with tries (and another Bizer conversion) for a 24-7 win and title.

“Going from seventh at USA’s [national championship] to second at the CRCs was progress for us,” Nicholas explained. “We knew we should be looked at as one of the top programs in the nation this spring, and these girls came out and proved that this week with the scoreboard. Things didn't go our way in the final, but we all know what our expectations are now going into next year.”

NEXT YEAR is indeed going to be a hallmark year. Lindenwood is following the lead of teams like Quinnipiac University and Notre Dame College, which left their respective college conferences to pursue more challenging schedules. No longer competing in the DI Illinois conference, Lindenwood has lined up DI teams Northern Iowa, Indiana, and Life; planned weekend round robins with Penn State and Army, Virginia (UVA) and North Carolina; and will host women’s clubs KC Jazz and St. Louis Sabres. The fall schedule could also see the addition of teams like Iowa State and Ohio State.

The schedule is not only dense with quality competition, but it also provides 1^st and 2^nd side matches for Lindenwood’s burgeoning roster. High School All Americans, Junior Olympians, elite all-stars – they’re all heading to St. Charles, Mo., next season. And if you were in Chester, Pa., this weekend, then you also saw some of those commits in action: Kat Ramage (NJ Blaze), Neariah Persinger (North Texas), Taylor Bragg-Brock (DSHA), Morgan Courtney (Summit). Lindenwood is actively wielding its future, and we're all eager to see where it leads.