GRR: Women DI College
Sacred Heart University has made quite the leap. This time last year, the Pioneers were competing in NSCRO and advanced to the championship against fellow small college Roger Williams. Today, Sacred Heart is an NCAA DI varsity program facing the likes of Notre Dame College, AIC, and Norwich. That’s a sharp uptick in competition, but fortunately, the program has Michelle Reed at the helm.
As is the trend these days, Kent State returns to the pitch this fall to an altered landscape. The two-time reigning Mid-American Conference (MAC) champion has seen its league whittle down to four teams, a drop that has cost the conference its automatic berth to DI national playoffs. But the Ohio team is taking the changes in stride.
Central Washington has built a diverse schedule this fall. The DI program has booked some East Coast and top-tier women’s club matches while also playing a full Pacific Mountain Rugby Conference (PMRC) lineup. That’s 11 games over seven weekends for the national 7s and 15s runner-up.
The second DI game of the varsity season occurred between Army and American International College yesterday, and the Cadets put themselves on the winning end of a thrilling 29-26 contest. The Yellow Jackets did well to overcome a two-try deficit in the first half and even briefly took the lead, but a 75th minute try gave the West Pointers the cushion they needed for the win.
Norwich published its season preview this morning (read here), but the most notable detail was confirmation of an actual women's college varsity league with a fall championship. The press release states: