Women's Rugby Finishes Second in Nationals

Even Princeton cheered.

After the Radcliffe rugby team ended the Tigers' 59-game winning streak in the semifinals of the Women's National Collegiate Rugby Championships, Princeton exhorted Radcliffe to victory in the final against Penn State. Although Radcliffe lost, 22-20, the Tiger support was memorable.

"I think it was hard for [Princeton] to do," senior Niffer Esty said. "It was very satisfying; it showed they respected us after our win over them."

After its tournament performance, Radcliffe earned more than respect. Five players were named All-Americans, and the entire scrum pack earned MVP honors.

"It was incredibly unusual," backs captain Bex Wallison said. "But those eight people did an incredible job. They were the best in the tournament at what they were supposed to do."

Princeton, the two-time defending Nationals champion, was ranked first entering last weekend's competition.

"Had we won Nationals, it would have been absolutely the most euphoric experience of my life, but beating Princeton comes close," backs captain Bex Wallison said. "Princeton is the ultimate enemy for Radcliffe rugby."

Last year, the tigers slipped by Radcliffe in the first round.

"The idea of playing Princeton was daunting to us then," Esty said. "This year, we were much more confident."

Backs coach Mary Dixey ignited this confidence last Wednesday, the day before Radcliffe left for Nationals. Dixey brought 33 wooden boards, all an inch thick, to practice, and every team member broke through one.

"It was very spirit-boosting," senior Kay Lee said. "It was this idea of breaking a barrier. If we concentrated on what we were doing, we could break through."

This willingness to break through manifested itself in both games.

Radcliffe overcame an early 8-0 Princeton lead, and erased deficits of three, six, eight, and 11 points against Penn State. In both games, team members on the sidelines shouted, "Through the boards!" when pushover tries were attempted.

For most of the first half against Princeton, though, Radcliffe trailed.

"We were down for a considerable amount of time," sophomore Kym Zielinski said. "But we never let up. We kept pressuring them."

The effort paid off when Radcliffe scored on a pushover try.

"That was the major turning point of the game," Zielinski said. "It mentally discouraged Princeton."

Late in the game, Radcliffe's forwards threatened Princeton's try line, but the Tigers continually collapsed the scrums. Princeton was penalized for intentional collapsing, and Radcliffe converted on one of its tries.

"In the end, it wasn't that close, but during it I was very worried," Wallison said. "I definitely had very tense feelings throughout the game."

However, after Radcliffe's victory, one feeling predominated: elation.

"Beating Princeton was an incredible feeling," Esty said. "It's the epitome of everything we've worked for."

"The past was a big motivating factor," Wallison said. "We were dominating [Princeton] for most of the game last year. We'd been thinking about it for a year, saying, 'God, we could've been in the finals."

Last Sunday, in only its second Nationals appearance, Radcliffe received the chance.

Penn State scored in the first two minutes for a 5-0 lead. Several minutes later, Radcliffe knotted the score. At halftime, though, Penn State led, 16-8.

Trailing, 19-8, in the second half, Radcliffe staged a furious rally, scoring 12 points to grab a 20-19 lead.

"It was an amazing game," Esty said. "It never occurred to us to give up, to stop believing in ourselves. That kept us in the game."

Radcliffe finally fell with eight minutes remaining.

"Penn State had better ball handlers, and was better under pressure than Princeton was," senior Carolyn Magill said. "They burst through the line with a lot of strength; they were very athletic, and very strong."

After the game, the team sang its hymn.

Lee, Wallison, Heather Phillips, sophomore Haley Steele, and junior Zelime Ward were all named All-Americans. Princeton  8 Harvard  15

Penn St  22 Harvard  20

Penn St  22 Harvard  20