College Women
Saturday was a high stakes day in Albuquerque, N.M. The Southwest regional championship was to name its representatives to the DI and DII spring final four by day’s end. The division II teams received a bye through the Round of 16, so the berth to the spring semifinals rested on one game between UC Riverside and Texas State.
Florida International returns to the spring final four for the second consecutive year, but the post-season appearance is more than a benchmark for the DII team. FIU has something to say about women’s rugby in Florida, and it’s letting its victories do the talking.
The Mid-Atlantic women’s DII college quarterfinal was an interesting one. Two conference runners-up – Capital’s Salisbury and Carolinas’ College of Charleston – won their Round of 16 matches, while their respective conference champions (Mary Washington and South Carolina) were eliminated on Saturday.
CSU Northridge is 10 years more mature after its experience at the DII West regional championship. The Southern California champ won its two playoff games by a combined 13 points, beating UN Reno 41-32 in overtime Saturday (read more) and a hungry Humboldt 36-32 yesterday.
Central Washington didn’t have to prove that it was a good team; just a glimpse at its roster confirms as much. But last weekend’s DI West regional championship lent some depth to its talent, as the Wildcats defeated Stanford 53-7 in Sunday’s quarterfinal.