The Women’s DIII semifinals take center stage Saturday at SaberCats Stadium in Houston, TX, as Endicott faces East Stroudsburg at 12 p.m. CT, preceded by Wisconsin-Platteville versus Colorado School of Mines at 10 a.m. CT. Saturday’s winners advance to Sunday’s final at 12 p.m.
Endicott has yet to concede a single point this postseason, while piling on 21 tries in two blowout wins, with All-American fullback Tess Merrill dotting down eight of them. The Gulls have been on a truly impressive run the last three seasons, stringing together a record of 28-1, the lone loss coming to eventual national champions St. Bonaventure in last year’s semifinals. Endicott ended the 2022 season as undefeated national champions.
Merrill has been there for it all, and she appears well on her way to a third-straight All-American selection, flanked by fellow senior leaders Bailey Tymeson, Ashley McElhinney and Sarah Alywin. For the third year in a row, they’re undefeated headed into the final weekend of the season.
Going up against the vaunted Blugolds is East Stroudsburg, which is making its first semifinal appearance. The Warriors reached the quarterfinals in 2022, falling to Lee, and lost in the first round last year to eventual champion St. Bonaventure. ESU graduated just one senior from the 2023 playoff run, returning significant experience, like flyhalf and captain Lindsay Foster.
The Warriors avenged their 2022 playoff loss in the opening round this fall, downing Lee, 61-10. Their quarterfinal was much closer, won with a Foster penalty kick in double overtime, 15-12, to sink SUNY Geneseo.
Wisconsin-Platteville has scored 118 points so far in the playoffs, conceding 29 against Niagara in the quarterfinals. Mines has scored 117 this postseason, but conceded none to either Northern Michigan or North Dakota.
The Pioneers have blazed this trail before, falling to St. Bonaventure by a single try in last year’s national championship game. Their quest to avenge that loss and be crowned champions is led by a pair of returning All-American captains in No. 8 Selena Bodedein and scrumhalf McKenna Dutton. All American prop Emma Callaghan is also back, and flanker Jordan Kamenz is having a breakout season.
The Orediggers are making their first appearance in the DIII semifinals, led by team captain, president and flyhalf Emma Barta, a grad student. But rugby rookie Piper Lee does most of the scoring from inside center. She’s part of a wave of new players on the Golden, CO campus this semester, and an impressive athlete.
Mines has a balanced attack, with forwards captain and No. 8 Trinity Bohaty and Marianna “Trench” Moreau leading a formidable and experienced pack. The Orediggers’ trio of captains have all been on the squad for three or four years.
Saturday’s DIII semifinals and Sunday’s final, along with the rest of Women’s Nationals, are being streamed live by The Rugby Network with a TRN+ Ticket.
