Meet the Four Teams Challenging for a CRAA Women's D1 Title
Meet the Four Teams Challenging for a CRAA Women's D1 Title
With the news that the CRAA Fall Classic is back, hosting, in part, the Women's D1 CRAA fall final, let's take a look at who might be there.
In fact, the chase to a place in Charlotte seems to have come down to four teams—UConn, Northeastern, Air Force, and Colorado Mesa.
CRAA Fall Classic Comes to Memorial Stadium in Charlotte
UConn and Northeastern will be playing each other this coming weekend in Hartford, Conn.
Both teams are 3-0 in conference play so far, and neither had been especially challenged, with the closes game being Northeastern's 34-point win over UMass. Against common opponents they are both, of course, 2-0, with UConn having outscored opponents 86-14, and Northeastern outscoring those same two teams 139-24.
The Huskies of UConn are led by Keisha Durden, who has 10 tires in those three games, and Anna Griffiths, who has scored five. Hannah Wilker and Emily Minkler lead the Huskies of Northeastern with five apiece. In short, these two teams are well ahead of the rest in Rugby Northeast, and this weekend's clash will say a lot about who might make the CRAA final.
In the Rocky Mountain, Air Force has managed to handle some injuries to be one of the strongest teams in the conference. They lost captain and scrumhalf Katie Evans to injury but Annie Migliaccio slid into the #9 jersey and has been very good. Freshman fullback and a natural defender Noel Migliaccio (Annie's sister) has been a nice addition.
Co-captain Anu Alama leads the defensive effort from flanker and No. 8 Gracen Worley is a multi-skilled loose forward who can kick, run, and defense.
It's a young Air Force team, but one that is learning quickly. That has led to wins over Wyoming Montana State, and Colorado State. But they lost in a wild one 53-48 to Colorado Mesa.
Mesa (as you can see from the video above) has built from winning the CRAA D2 7s in the spring to score ... a lot.
One of Mesa's victories was a forfeit, but the other four have produced 189 points in four games. Scrumhalf Ryleigh Blatnik is a constant threat to score with her elusiveness and she has seven tries and 47 points. Freshman Ellen Rickerd has scored five in four games while front-rower Courtney Hull is a talented goalkicker as well as a force up front.
So are they the front-runner? Probably, but it's worth noting that in Mesa's win over Air Force the Mavs were up 43-3 before Air Force stormed back and almost caught them at 53-48.
Upcoming Colorado Mesa has Montana State this weekend, while Air Force hosts Colorado. A week after the Air Force hosts Utah State, which made the D1 fall final last year but has graduated a bunch of players.
But all four of the teams we've mentions—Connecticut, Northeastern, USAFA, Colorado Mesa—should expect tougher and more different opposition in November.
