Texas is finally getting some representation at the women’s DII college national championship. The state routinely sends a team to the DI Round of 16, while the DII league has rallied around participation. In 2015, the Lonestar conference is supplying Texas State to the opening round of playoffs, where it will play UC Riverside in Albuquerque, N.M.

Texas State formed in 2002 and developed in Texas Rugby Union’s DII.

“Gradually, our team grew large enough to be competitive, and we've made a run for the DII Texas Cup on more than one occasion in the past,” Texas State coach James Summers explained. “However, the club has always struggled to maintain numbers, and membership fluctuates so dramatically from season to season – sometimes from semester to semester – that building a consistent program has been somewhat of a challenge.”

But Texas State has always shown some moxie. When the Southwest Women’s Conference formed a few years ago, Texas State joined as a DI team, playing the likes of Texas A&M and Texas Tech. But after a season of playing up, numbers dwindled, and the team joined the Lonestar conference, which is a hybrid NSCRO/DII league, according to Summers.

“The past two seasons in the Lonestar women’s conference have been rebuilding years for us,” Summers said. “Our numbers are steadily increasing, and player retention has improved. We were very strong in the conference this year, but that's owing to the fact that we're a large university and our program has simply outgrown the competition.”

There are several quality athletes who are driving the success of the team. In the backs, watch for center Kaetlyn Bartels, flyhalf/center Bethany Thompson, center/wing Ali Myers, and fullback Desiree DeLeon. In the forwards, prop Shelvy Wilson, lock Olivia Gibeaux, prop Taylor Dahl, prop/flanker Val Chavez, and lock/No. 8 Zoe Tucker are all note-worthy.

“Our style of play is constantly evolving,” Summers reviewed his team. “The majority of our players are new to the game, so they're just discovering what it's all about. Our veterans are good athletes and carry the team with their experience and ability.”

The playoff situation at Albuquerque has not been publicly confirmed, but both Summers and UC Riverside coach Roger Light indicated (as of yesterday) that they are only playing one game against each other in New Mexico.