From left, Endicott’s Ashley McElhinney, Tess Merrill and Sarah Alywin hoist their championship trophy after winning the Small College women’s rugby national championship in Texas.
Endicott rugby players Cassidy McElhinney, left, and tournament MVP Jourdan VanAmburgh share their team’s trophy after capturing the program’s first-ever national championship.
Regardless of what happened in last weekend’s National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) championship, it was a going to be a season to remember for the Endicott women’s squad.
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But capping things off with one last victory in the small college national title game — a decisive 24-12 decision over Lee University — was unquestionably the icing on the cake.
Not only was it the program’s first-ever championship crown, but the final triumph put the stamp on an unbeaten (10-0) run that included a revenge-like win over top seeded SUNY Cortland in the regional championship.
“To be the national champions for the first time in program history was probably one of the best feelings I’ve ever experienced, ” said Endicott senior Jourdan VanAmburgh, who took home tournament MVP. “It just solidified that all our hard work, heart and dedication had paid off.”
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Endicott got off to a ridiculously impressive start to the fall season with dominant wins over Salve Regina (41-0), UMass Dartmouth (59-0), Wentworth (100-5), and UMaine-Farmington (41-0). The Gulls would then roll Salve again, 71-7, in the Colonial Coast Rugby Conference championship to earn the right to host the opening round of the NCR Regionals.
They proceeded to sneak past No. 13 Colby, 27-14, earning a spot in the Regional championship for the second straight year. The Gulls moved on to face a SUNY Cortland team that ousted them from the playoffs last fall, and wanted nothing more than to exact their revenge.
“Once we saw our potential, we knew that we could make a deep run, ” said Gulls’ head coach Carly Baker. “The win over Salve in the (conference) championship was really a statement game and allowed us to host a regional game for the first time, which was a big deal for our program and our school.”
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For Baker, VanAmburgh and the rest of the Gulls, the ensuing 31-27 win over Cortland confirmed what they had believed all along: they were in it to win it and were going to give everything they had against any opponent the rest of the way.
“It was very tight (against Cortland), came right down to the wire, ” said Baker. “We really focused this year on our defense and our tackling, making sure that we honed in on technique, line speed, meeting them and making those tackles low to not allow them to get by. I think we did that tremendously.”
They Gulls faced some serious adversity in the title tilt against Lee, getting flagged for a yellow card late that forced them to play man-down in crunch time while nursing a 5-point lead. But Endicott never wavered against the Tennessee school, getting a key stop and subsequent score on a try from Carolina Stubbs down the stretch to secure the 24-12 win.
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“We both had speed on the outside, and we knew if we could shut down their No. 12 and 13 we’d be in good shape, ” said Baker, who also got scores from Summer Cardoza, Tess Merrill and VanAmburgh in the title win.
“I think once we had scored that last try by Carolina, we could feel it. I was so happy for her; she was one of our unsung heroes (who) worked so hard throughout the season. For her to get that last try, I think everyone was ecstatic.”
Senior captain Cassidy McElhinney was a force on and off the field. Junior transfer Grace Kenkel was dominant in the back line, along with sophomore Sarah Aylwin of Topsfield. The latter scored a few tries against Northern Michigan in the national semifinals that proved crucial.
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“We had so many girls who really just competed, ” said Baker. “And we had a lot of great juniors and seniors who were great leaders and all worked together.”
“I would describe the team as nothing like any other team I’ve ever been on or experienced, ” said VanAmburgh. “The fact that every single person, all 25 of us, came to every single practice and game with the dedication, commitment and determination to put in the hard work really helped us get that chemistry and trust in each other.
“Bringing that to every single game, to regionals, to nationals, that’s one of the primary factors of why we were able to accomplish what we did. I wouldn’t have wanted to do it all with any other team.”
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Home delivery and Digital Access customers of The Salem News get deals for restaurants, hotels, attractions and other businesses, locally and across the country.The Redtails have announced a squad of 19 players for the USA’s first-ever test match. They’ll play the Ravens in Vancouver, BC, on October 9, 2021.
The entire squad is made up of rugby union players who have committed to helping develop women’s rugby league in America. The state of Florida dominates the squad with nine players hailing from the Sunshine State.
The squad was picked at the conclusion of several tournaments around the country, development days and a national camp in Illinois. More than 240 women had expressed a desire to get involved in the game.
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“It was important to look at establishing the squad with some seasoned players initially, whilst providing the opportunity for players at a lesser age to gain experience as we further develop towards our main goal of making the 2025 RLWC, ” USA Women’s Rugby League head coach Garen Casey told Rugby League Planet.
“There are players that will see some names on this list and say that they have played with them or against them. Our purpose is to engage with all ladies at every age and show them that they can get opportunities if they are willing to take the first step. These ladies did and they are getting rewarded for that.”
Casey says they will continue to develop the game domestically as they strive to implement their plan across multiple regions and through any competition because the focus is on the development of the women’s game and is not limited to a single source.
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“We will see Brazil debut at a World Cup, the USA come into international matches and competitions and as we continue to grow, we look forward to building tournaments and competitions that welcome overseas players to assist growing the game, ” he continued.
“We can only hope that our ladies locally can embrace the game like what we are seeing in Brazil and with more opportunities, we can help make smaller countries like Jamaica, Costa Rica and Mexico for example, more prominent in the sport.All the women's squads for the Rugby League World Cup The women's tournament gets underway on November 1 with a double header at Headingley
The women’s Rugby League World Cup is nearly upon us with excitement rapidly building ahead of the opening game between England and Brazil on November 1.
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Headingley, the home of Leeds Rhinos, is the venue for the double header with Papua New Guinea and Canada taking to the field after the hosts get things underway against their South American opponents.
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