GRR: No name
The Big Ten decided to join the USA Rugby Women’s DI Fall Championship, hosted by ACRA, rather than the spring playoffs, this year, and the conference has made its presence known. Two teams – Penn State and Indiana – have advanced to the semifinals on Dec. 6-7 in Palm Coast, Fla., although the pair’s paths to the Final Four contrast greatly with each other.
With the play-ins for the final spots for the national playoffs done, we get a better send of the relative strengths of the various conferences. It's a small sample, to be sure, but something to go on.
This is what we found out: Cardinals is legit, even with their #2 losing to Potomac's #2, Towson was a heavy favorite and VMI (badly under-ranked last week) made them sweat.
Quinnipiac returns to the final four for the second time in the program’s short history, with its debut occurring in 2012. Recollections of that Bobcat squad only amplify the team’s progress in 2.5 years –not only was Quinnipiac playing in DII then, but its stardom also revolved around the phenomenal stiff-arming of Natalie Kosko.
Bowdoin College survived a nerve-testing weekend. The Polar Bears won two playoff games against Tri-State teams by a combined 51-37, and have been rewarded with a trip to the USA Rugby Women’s DII College Fall Championship, hosted by ACRA, final four. It will be the Maine team’s second trip ever, the first coming in 2006-07, when it lost to eventual champion UC Santa Cruz.