College Women
The Mid-Atlantic conference (MARC) got underway last weekend and saw six DII women’s colleges kick off their competitive seasons.
Eight colleges with varsity rugby programs have banded together to form the National Collegiate Varsity Women’s Rugby Association.
When the Quinnipiac Women traveled to Marietta, Ga., for its season-opener against Life University, the 34-19 win proved difficult to interpret. The Running Eagles are newly varsity and the late August match was an early fixture. But the Bobcats’ strength came into focus last Saturday, when it defeated traditional DI power Army 50-17.
The Lindenwood University women's team is in the mist of the change. The DI program is NOT moving to DII (contrary to a previous report) but has welcomed a new full-time coach – Billy Nicholas from the Bronx – who only accepted the position two weeks ago. The Missouri side has good infrastructure, however, and Director of Rugby JD Stephenson has been leading the transition.
The Penn State vs. Norwich friendly was highly touted, and the two best women’s DI colleges came through with a thriller. The first half was contested in Norwich’s end and yielded a 19-5 halftime lead for Penn State. The Cadets rallied like no other and eventually overtook the reigning USA Rugby champion 27-24.