The DU Womens Rugby Club rolled up to the pitch a few minutes after 8 a.m. The Air Force Academy always seemed slightly chilled, but the fresh layer of snow blanketing the field made this day especially formidable.
After an hour-long delay to let the snow thaw, the Collegiate Rugby Association of America (CRAA) national qualifiers were on. The Division 1 and Division 2 teams that qualified here would travel to Dallas, Texas for the CRAA national tournament on May 13.
The wind picked up as DU’s starters jogged onto the field for their first game against New Mexico State University. It was after 11 o’clock now, but the pitch was still streaked with snow.
The next 15 minutes were a blur. The first game went smoothly—the squad worked together, providing support, rucking to defend possession, and getting the ball out to the backline to accelerate the attack. On defense, their tackles were low and accurate. On offense, the backs outran and outplayed New Mexico, touching the ball down for a total of four tries, each worth five points. The team made every conversion kick, two points apiece, to bring home 28 points to New Mexico’s 15.
Head Coach Emma Spalding was thrilled to see “teammates supporting each other in rucks and breakaways and making those tries.”
“It was just fantastic,” she said.
Team captain Skyler Wilkey was also impressed by the team’s mental game. “We…do some ridiculously goofy things to keep a good attitude, but that totally translates to how we play on the pitch,” she said.
Unlike most of the other teams present, this was DU’s first year competing in the national tournament. Founded in 2017, the club was just hitting its stride when COVID-19 hit. After participating in the developmental league for 15s last fall, the team was ready to join CRAA’s Division II league for the spring 7s season.
“We have had a lot of new players come out this year so it’s been a constant growth and learning mindset…[this team] has come together on and off the pitch, which is really exciting to see,” said Coach Spalding.
The second game against Colorado Mesa University (CMU) did not go nearly as smoothly. The team’s starting flyhalf, junior Maddi Lane, had to sit the game out over a hit to the head in the previous match, and CMU broke through the team’s defense time after time to end the game ahead of DU at 33-12.
As the players trudged off the pitch, disappointed at the blowout and now staring down a long summer of training sans-Dallas, Coach Spalding smiled. She had declined to tell the players a key detail about the qualifier: the top two teams in each region qualify for the national tournament. DU was going to Dallas.
Wilkey could not have been happier.
“I’m really excited for us to have the opportunity because we’ve been working really hard,” said Wilkey. “I think it will be a really amazing experience for everyone on the team.”
Qualifying meant a little extra to the seniors on the team. Wilkey, Sarah Bast, Olive Olsen, Rory Taylor and yours truly each witnessed the club grow over the past four years from a developmental 15s team in 2019 to a CRAA Division II national tournament competitor in 2023.
The team has two weeks to train before leaving for Dallas on May 12. Their work is cut out for them, and Coach Spalding plans to use the time to improve team fitness and bring everyone’s skills up to speed.
“If they believe that they can do it, they can,” she said. “I’m excited to see how they do on a national stage.”
The team will be hosting a bake sale at Infinity Park on Saturday, May 6 at 3 p.m. to raise money for the trip. You can also directly support the club here by designating Club Women’s Rugby.
