More friendlies await for Central Washington, but this weekend is arguably the most exciting for the Wildcats this fall. The Ellensburg team is on the east coast, and will play Norwich and Quinnipiac in an all-varsity double-header.

The Wildcats are members of the Pacific Mountain Conference North, which plays a split-season schedule. But CWU has packed its fall with meaningful games alongside its league matches, and has won them all so far. CWU defeated a mixed WPL/DII ORSU side 55-10, posted 100 unanswered points in a scrimmage against DI Washington State, and defeated DI club champion Seattle 35-24.

Head coach Mel Denham has brought a roster of 23, and there is a mix of veteran and newcomers on board.

“All players selected to travel earned the opportunity through their performance at practice and in the previous matches,” the coach stated. “I am excited to see some of the younger players integrate into the mix and develop in these competitive games.”

Central Washington will be missing some of its regular starters due to injury or academic commitments, including Suliana Tausinga, Ros Pena, Haley Schafer, and Nicole Valli. Interestingly, all but Tausinga began their college careers with Denham at American International College (Mass.), and have experience playing both Norwich and Quinnipiac. Players like Cassidy Meyers, Megan Pinson, and Carrie Vaillancourt are also AIC alumnae and have played the east coast’s best.

Norwich is 2-3 and missing the influence of graduated captain and scrumhalf Emily Oor, who directed the attack for years. The backline is packed with speed and talent, and the forwards carry more size than years previous. However, the defense needs tightening, as Norwich averaged 47 points-against in its three losses.

Quinnipiac beat Norwich 48-19 and is currently 5-1 overall. The Bobcats are coming off a 53-7 win over Brown, a game that saw former Cadet Ilona Maher score three tries from center. It will be interesting to see how the freshman center duo of Emily Roskopf, who leads her team with 11 tries, and Maher match up against the Wildcats’ explosive backline.

This weekend should bring some good competition and will serve as a first real look into the Wildcats this season. It’s also fostering relationships between the isolated Central Washington with the concentration of varsity teams on the east coast. Last year, Quinnipiac traveled to Ellensburg for a friendly, and CWU is returning the favor. When CWU gets involved with the varsity league next year, they'll need a couple of teams to fly out to the west coast.

“Without adequate planning time for this year’s varsity championship, there were too many unknowns too late in the summer for us to reasonably commit and participate – especially from an administrative standpoint,” Denham explained CWU’s absence from the varsity league. “We are eager and looking forward to collaborate this winter with the other varsity coaches, administrators, and USA Rugby to plan ahead for next year’s varsity championship.”

But until that time, Central Washington will compete for the spring DI Elite championship, a new competition that brings together the top DI teams in the country (excluding varsity teams). CWU will be joined by teams like Penn State, BYU, Indiana, Lindenwood, Life, and New Mexico.

Stay tuned for match reports.