Women DII College Top 20: April 8, 2015

The Women’s DII College rankings were tough to follow this year. Either the heavy hitters in the Northeast and Midwest were being heavily hit by snow and ice, or the spring-based teams were suffering through forfeit/cancelation-ridden leagues (with some notable exceptions). But after a month’s hiatus, some good results have necessitated some movement in the Top 20.

Despite the weather issues, idle teams took a hit this ranking – with the exception of Notre Dame College at the top, and Utah Valley and Marist at the bottom. The Falcons are heading to the DII final on May 9, so we’re inclined to cut them slack. Additionally, the program is hosting a national 7s qualifier this weekend, and Notre Dame College's players have been busy playing on all-star teams this winter. [4.8 Update: NDC won the Romp in the Swamp last weekend, outscoring opponents 127-14.] With Utah Valley and Marist, they stay put because the rankings newcomers – Alabama and South Carolina – aren’t stronger than these two teams. Both the Crimson Tide and Gamecocks earned spots on the Top 20 after proving they can pull through tight games in the post-season, and both earned conference titles for their efforts.

Kutztown and Bowdoin slid down, although both will be active in 7s tournaments this weekend. The aforementioned swapped with Rutgers, which banked two wins at Cherry Blossom (the Sunday competition was canceled due to frozen turf), and Vassar, which played overseas in Hungary and won two games against local teams.

CSU Northridge also jumped up two spots, having won Southern California, and enters the spring playoffs with a nice build-up. Gaining one spot in the rankings are Salisbury, Mary Washington, Humboldt and UN Reno. The Capital finalists have been hammered by bad weather – reigning DII championship Mary Washington had four games canceled since spring break – but the previous two weeks have allowed for some much needed competition, and wins. The West Coast leaders relied on each other for solid competition, and the pair played another great game in the conference final, 18-7 to Humboldt.

There are plenty of competitions occurring this weekend that will undoubtedly affect rankings. The spring Round of 16 tops them all, and nine of our Top 20 are involved. Plenty of tournaments have lured teams onto the pitch, including Falcon 7s, Penn State 7s, Rugby Northeast 7s, MARC 7s, and Tri-State 7s. The Midwest is hosting an LAU tournament at Palmer College, and loads of players from teams like Winona State will be in motion, while others head to 15s events like Fools Fest. Stay tuned.