NIRA Update: Major Results Through the Divisions

In D1, Dartmouth and Harvard won competitive games to remain undefeated.

Brogan Mior, Achele Agada, Cameron Fields, Victoria Stanley, and Tiahna Padilla all scored in a 27-5 victory over Sacred Heart. Harvard ran out to a commanding lead in the first half but were held to just the one try in the second period. Sacred Heart scored their lone try in the second half also. Paced by the tempo management of scrumhlf Cassidy Bargell Harvard handled a physical Sacred Heart side—they will be hoping for more conversions but the 1-for-5 day for Mior was also a function of the Crimson scoring so many tries out wide.

UNDEFEATED ICYMI we became 4-0 last week! pic.twitter.com/gDKGWVGvnK

— HarvardWRugby (@RadcliffeRugby) October 6, 2022

Dartmouth won the rematch of last year's final, beating Army 24-15. Anjali Pant scored two tries while Simone Bautista and Kristin Bitter also touched down in a game where the Big Green's backline looked very impressive.

Pant AGAIN! Great start here at Brophy Field https://t.co/RSKCYXj4jN | @ESPNPluspic.twitter.com/WWGOMHzXJw

— Dartmouth Rugby (@DartmouthWRugby) October 1, 2022

Dartmouth has now won 12 games in a row. They still have Harvard (October 15) and Brown (October 29) on the schedule.

Brown, for their part, were very good in a 33-0 shutout of Mount St. Mary's. 

"We controlled the controllables and knew we were going to get some rain and we accepted that early on and they were singing in the rain," said Brown Head Coach Rosalind Chou. "We stuck to our gameplan and the team rallied together and enjoyed the day. Defense is a difficult thing, you have to be a real team together and it really shows how hard they're working for each other and improving every week to create pressure for our opponents."

Akilah Cathey scored two tries for Brown while Elizabeth Mahoney, Mahdia Parker, and Nikki Lynch added tries, with Julia Murray converting three Erin Jessop converting one.  

So the chase is on for those semifinal spots. Harvard, at 4-0, and Dartmouth, at 3-0, are in good shape, and Army, at 3-1 is certainly still in the conversation. Harvard, has a week off but then games against Dartmouth, Brown, and Army, all of which will have the intensity of a playoff game. Brown is at 2-1-1 and has Long Island University this coming weekend, followed by Harvard and Dartmouth. It will be a tough ask to come out of that buzzsaw with a better than .500 record for the season. Circling around that is Quinnipiac. Idle this weekend, the 1-3 Bobcats might seem out of it, but their remaining games are all eminently winnable and they could still reach the final four.

Unofficial Standings: