College Women
The final Women DII College Fall Top 20 of 2015 comes with the conclusion of the fall championship, which Davenport claimed on Dec. 6. It is the first fall title for the Panthers, and the team will spend the upcoming spring season building toward the national championship on May 6.
Davenport is heading to the DII national championship, having won the fall title after two exhilarating games last weekend. A ferocious second half was needed against Bloomsburg in the semifinals, but the 41-26 victory pit the Panthers against perennial fall finalist Winona.
When the U.S. Air Force Academy and University of Connecticut contest the fall championship on Sunday, Dec. 6, it won’t be the first time that these women’s DI colleges have battled toward a title. The pair played in the 1993 national championship, and UConn, making its second consecutive appearance that year, took home the trophy.
The National Collegiate Women’s Varsity Rugby Association (NCWVRA) season culminated Sunday, as top-ranked Quinnipiac and Army competed for the first-ever title.
After a tense playoff weekend, the four women’s DII college regionals have named their representatives to the fall championship semifinals. The teams will gather at Furman University (S.C.) on Dec. 5-6, and the fall champion will move onto the DII national championship in May 2016.