The Big 10 got underway last weekend, with six of the seven teams taking the pitch. Iowa, Davenport and Indiana won their respective matches, inking their first victories in the Collegiate Rugby Association of America DI fall 15s season.
Davenport topped Notre Dame 66-17 (read Mariah Pruitt’s write-up), and Indiana shut out Michigan State 31-0. Shaianne McGruder, Gabby Malaev and Arie O’Brien accounted for the Redstorm’s tries, and Zoe Goldenberg added the extras. The Iowa vs. Ohio State match was the most competitive of the three games, pitting a team newer to the 15s game against one that had been re-emerging from a hiatus – prior to the pandemic.
“The program’s been growing every year since Jim [Estes] restarted it 4-5 years ago now,” said new Hawkeyes head coach Kathleen O’Neill, who had served as Estes’ assistant coach since 2018. “As I take over in the head coaching role for 15s [Estes will be back for spring 7s], we’re just building on those successes that he’s had over the last few years. And the girls have really taken it on themselves to develop the club and get that next layer of players coming in, so that when we have a team that graduates out 8-9 girls like we did last year, we’re able to fill those spots next season and keep going. I’d love to take credit but really it’s Jim and the players that have grown this program to where it is now.”
O’Neill started playing rugby in Iowa in the mid-late 90s and then resumed her involvement as a middle school coach in Franklin, Tenn. She started playing with Nashville and then took over as head coach in 2012. In 2015, O’Neill returned to Iowa City and works at the university, and then joined the Hawkeyes staff in 2018.
The Hawkeyes built momentum through the 7s game and was building up its 15s experience when Covid-19 arrived. The team was able to hold modified practices starting in October 2020 and got creative in the spring (pool noodle touch games!) to replicate the feel of games. The squad focused on fitness and skills, and then in late spring, the team was notified that it was eligible for the CRC May Madness 7s, a Memorial Day Weekend tournament that National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) was holding in New Orleans.
“Having the [CRCs] was key to really being able to engage the student-athletes and keep them motivated for upcoming semesters,” O’Neill said. “Some had never played since joining the team, or hadn’t played since early spring 2020 or late fall 2019, so having that tournament was key to motivating players who had been modified-practicing for so long with no games.”
The team then funneled energies into summer 7s and recruitment. When the schoolyear resumed, the Hawkeyes spent the first two weeks recruiting rather than practicing, and the effort paid off as 20 new players signed on and stayed on. With the returners, Iowa has 35-40 players on the roster. O’Neill heaped praise on president Jaeden DeBus and vice president Hayley Bassett, who have elevated the team from an administrative perspective, all in the pursuit of developing a high-functioning club sport team.
On the pitch, Iowa benefits from the senior leadership of Klaire Harris and Keishanique Moton-Tyler.
“They are really dominant on the pitch,” O’Neill said. “When you have those good players with a lot of athletic ability, they bring the rest of the team up. They keep us going, and they’re the biggest cheerleaders for their teammates. They’re crucial impact players for us.”
Erica Coulibaly is also having a breakout season early on. She is one of those players who found rugby during the pandemic and whose first rugby games occurred at the CRCs. There, she was named to the all-tournament team. She’s running with it and is now a leader on the pitch.
Iowa was able to scrimmage the Quad City Irish – the women’s club that Estes is spearheading – in advance of the Big 10 season, and then hosted Ohio State on Sept. 18. The home side went up early and took a 24-10 lead into halftime, and that lead proved useful, as the two teams were nearly even in the second half. The sides dotted down another three tries apiece. Iowa added two conversions and Ohio added one in the second half, 43-27 the final.
“From a game flow perspective, it was an Iowa game offensively. Defensively, it was Ohio State,” O’Neill said. “They were very aggressive – in a good way – from everything from counterrucks, to poaching the ball, to really bringing some pressure against my offense. So the score might not show it but OSU really owned that game defensively.
“That’s where our ‘aha’ moments occurred – on defense,” the coach added. “We were a little slow to secure our ball and we struggled launching on defense. That was something our forwards, as the game progressed, really started to understand: We need to launch and not let the offense gain momentum. We have to be quicker off rucks and set plays, and really launch into contact.”
Iowa worked two new scrumhalves, one in each half, and Ohio State’s nine was relentless with both of them.
“They learned about game flow, about how and when to get the ball out of those rucks and scrums,” O’Neill described their learning curve. “And they learned that they have to get their backline set before reaching for that ball, because if you’re not ready, you are going to get taken down.”
But the attack found ways to score. Woman of the Match Amaryha McGowan led from No. 8, and was one of two forwards (Bassett is the other) with any previous 15s experience. McGowan transferred from a junior college and played a little high school 15s. She scored her first try as a Hawkeye as well.
Coulibaly scored a couple of tries and did an excellent job in setting up her teammates out wide. Kate Parry scored three tries from the wing and secured the sideline defensively. Fullback Harris slotted four of seven conversions, scored a try, and was solid in her open-field tackles.
“The team was obviously feeling great because it was a win, and they scored a lot of points – you feel good,” O’Neill said. “But they are very cognizant of the fact that we have never been a big 15s team and always had a 7s focus. So we’re learning with 15s. As they came out of the game, they wanted to make sure they knew what they needed to do so they could keep playing better and keep winning in a 15s environment. They’re hopeful for a great season but they know there’s a lot to learn.”
That mindset has influenced the team’s overall goals for the fall.
“Our student board really wanted to get really good at the basics of rugby,” O’Neill said. “There was no talk of winning games or the Big 10, but that learning the basics will lead to winning games.
“Off the field, they really want to drive the organizational culture that will impact recruiting and retention throughout the semester, and beyond,” the coach closed. “They want to create an environment that attracts people and encourages them to stay on this team throughout their tenure at Iowa. Because as the rugby community knows, this is an amazing sport and the people you meet and play against are top notch.”
Iowa is heading to Michigan State (0-1) in East Lansing, Mich., this weekend, and the Hawkeyes won’t be traveling with a full roster – just as Ohio State arrived with fewer with than 23 players last weekend. The Big 10 schedule requires a lot of travel, and that time and money commitment will stress player availability.
Also this weekend, Ohio State (0-1) will travel to Davenport (1-0), and Michigan will plays its first game of the season at Notre Dame (0-1). Indiana (1-0) has the bye.