The DIAA national title race is wide open, despite defending champion Northeastern looming large. This competition is entering just its second season, so there’s not much historical data from which to prognosticate, and there are a few brand-new teams who look like contenders.
The defending national champion Northeastern Huskies come in at No. 1, despite losing some serious talent, but the cupboard’s never bare in Boston. Head coach Keith Cattanach has a huge roster, even without a trio of All-Americans lost to graduation in No. 8 Molly McAlevey, wing Kourtney Bichotte-Dunner and prop Kyra Grimes. All-Americans coming back are fullback Jolene Russo and scrumhalf Ysabel Del Fierro. More standouts return in Flyhalf Alex Peterson, center Sydney Joslin and lock Sierra Palecek.
Ringing in at No. 2 is Quinnipiac, which found itself at the center of offseason headlines when the university downgraded the three-time NIRA champion program from varsity to club. Recruits made other plans, players transferred, and legendary head coach Becky Carlson was left without a job. Fourteen players return from last year’s 5-3 squad that defeated the likes of Brown, Long Island, Navy and Queens, and the school’s club sports department is looking to hire a new coach. The Bobcats may have a lean roster this fall, but they’ll be very experienced and motivated.
It was a wild last season for third-ranked Northern Iowa. The Panthers played up a division in both 15s and 7s, the latter by choice and the former by chance. When eligibility and discipline issues caused then-defending champion Wheeling to pull out of the DI championship game, always-game UNI stepped up and filled in after being eliminated from the DIAA playoffs by Colorado. Expected to return are a trio of All-Americans in lock Emma Hastings, fullback Macie Graves and flyhalf Morgan Linck, Linck wrapping up her first season in Women’s Elite Rugby playing for the Twin Cities Gemini before her last go-round in Cedar Falls.
Gone are an All-American pair in prop Taylor Wreath and fullback Kate Delaney, as well as XVs All-Star MVP Milena Keene. Hooker Isabella Gega has returned to captain the Cavaliers, and Kate Hobbs will start at flyhalf, returning from a torn ACL from a couple of years ago. The Cavaliers reached the national semifinals last fall. And with six UVA players on the roster, including returners Lexa Neufeld and Emmaline Lebuhn, head coach Nancy Kechner helmed the Stripes to the XVs All-Star title in January. Virginia’s first big test of the fall is N.C. State Sept. 12, and rival Virginia Tech returns to the schedule after a couple of years of hiatus.
Notre Dame has graduated one of their three All-Americans from last season – Megan Tremblay. The other two, center Mia Blocher and No. 8 Isabelle Henderson, are back. Another big returner is powerhouse Raquel Muniz Bermudez, who represented the Irish at All-Stars in January. Henderson spent part of her summer at USA Rugby’s U23 high performance camp in Chula Vista, CA, and Blocher played with the All-Americans at Algarve 7s and spent a week in NCR’s XVs high performance camp in Wisconsin.
Arizona State is in its first year in the competition, having joined the fray for 7s in the spring. The Sun Devils showed well at the Collegiate Rugby Championship in April, getting to the semifinals before falling to eventual champion Northeastern, which should provide confidence when potentially facing the same teams in the XVs postseason this fall. All-American Lily Morrison returns for another go, so look for her to fill up the box scores.
Colorado enjoyed breakout seasons in both XVs and 7s last year, and could be underrated coming in at No. 7. The Buffs fell to Northeastern in the national championship game last December, and they finished third at National 7s in the spring, ahead of sixth-ranked Arizona State. The reigning High Peaks champions are no strangers to turning slights into motivation. With All-American Lucia “Sauce” Hoffman expected to return, Colorado is a contender to climb.
Purdue comes in having made a playoff appearance last season, falling to Virginia in the quarterfinals and Big Ten rival Notre Dame in the regional consolation game. 7s All-Star Tessa Weisgerber returns as captain, leading the Boilermakers into another tough conference slate, with Ohio State and Michigan on consecutive weekends to start the season, and Notre Dame on Friday Night Lights.
Ohio State narrowly missed out on the playoffs last year, but the Buckeyes are definitely a contender this fall. All-American flanker Ada Erhart is back for her senior season, as are XVs All-Star prop and club president Grace Hein and starting hooker Aylin Kirbas. Ohio State opens the season with a big test against in-state and DI Walsh.
James Madison missed out on the XVs playoffs last fall, but reached the 7s quarterfinals in the spring. 7s All-Stars Kaia Lyons and Logan Boone return, as does XVs All-Star Nora Richards, who will lead the attack from either scrumhalf or fullback, and flanker Jessica Faranda is a XVs All-Star returning to the pack.
Written by Pat Clifton
