IG @ur_womens_rugby
Upstate New York is one of the largest conferences in National Collegiate Rugby (NCR), sporting two small-college divisions and a DI competition. Not all members are able to play league games right now, as Covid-19 has impacted their ability to field full squads, but the density of teams in this region means colleges can at least stay active through friendlies and tournaments.
Last weekend saw five games play out and Rochester and SUNY Geneseo play to the tightest decision: 26-24 to the Sledgehammers. Meredith Pyke is head coach of the Rochester program and is also on the conference all-star coaching staff.
“The players weren’t able to do a lot,” Pyke said of the team’s activity during the Covid-19 playing hiatus. “As a club sports coach I wasn’t able to go to campus, so I would do my best to send practice plans and they would execute as best they could. The put a lot of work into their passing and general game understanding, which was really great to see when I came back.”
When the team was able to assemble and train together, Pyke recognized 15 or so of the players, some of which had a semester of experience.
“They brought me 25-30 rookies. It’s quite an interesting time,” said Pyke, who credited the returners’ excellent recruitment efforts and the prominence of Olympic 7s for the numbers. “At one of our practices recently, we were going to review our scrums, and I had one prop and one hooker that I had worked with before.”
Fortunately, the Rochester Renegades senior club held a pre-season round robin with Rochester, Brockport, Niagara, Cortland and Oneonta. Teams could play 7s, 10s and/or 15s.
Didn’t really know what was going in the rest of the but the general concensus is everyone’s in the same boat. Some have more people, others have been able to train more, some lost tons of numbers and couldn’t’ recruit.
The team was feeling good for its first game. “This was a low-stakes environment where we could review some stuff – like how to engage in a scrum – and also get some exposure to the new trial laws,” Pyke said. “Being able to play and make mistakes without the weight of the world on your shoulders, that was really important since we had so many rookies. And it gave me an indication of what things we needed to focus on to be successful this season.”
Allie Bergman, who’s also the VP, and Mae Jobin Davis are the on-field captains, and their leadership pairs well with president Chad South’s direction. Their presence was important on Saturday, as Pyke wasn’t able to attend the team’s season opener. The coach was following the game, remaining on the phone with a former player who was at the field.
Rochester took a 14-7 lead into the halftime, and then Geneseo answered with two tries, two conversions and a penalty kick. With 10 minutes remaining in the match, Geneseo led 24-19.
“From what I was told, they were in it the whole time and wanted that win,” Pyke said. “Even when they were behind no one got down or hard on themselves. That makes me feel great. I’ve had other teams in the past lose their momentum. ‘They scored, oh well.’ This time it was, ‘So what? We’ll keep going and put more points on the board.’ You can’t teach that kind of attitude.”
In the last minute of play, Rochester scored the tying try and then added the conversion for the 26-24 win. The team highlighted Sophie Mackenzie, Kavira Musongera and Grace Mueller for standout performances.
IG @ur_womens_rugby
“Kavira has really impressed me,” Pyke said of the flanker. “I’m seeing some really awesome stuff. Really everyone is impressing me because we practice twice a week for two hours, and we’ve had maybe five practices, so really the fact that they’re all getting out there and enjoying it and getting it is super impressive to me. Feels like a good foundation.”
Of the newer players, Lydia Levesque looked good in the backs and is settling into the fullback position. Shahzoda Nasimjonova (City Honors) and Jaydee Ortez-Galindo both played rugby in high school and their enthusiasm and experience have been welcomed additions.
“We are learning how to all work together right now,” Pyke said. “We have some good momentum and are just trying to remember some of those rules.”
Pyke indicated that the team will keep working on ballcarrier support, understanding the trial laws that impact the contact area, and banking as many field hours together as possible.
Across the rest of the conference, Cornell beat Binghamton 38-10, Cortland topped Le Moyne 77-0, Ithaca defeated Hamilton 36-0 and Niagara shut out Fredonia 39-0. This weekend’s lineup:
RIT – Binghamton
Syracuse – Buffalo
Cornell – Colgate
Cortland – Union
Ithaca – Le Moyne
Fredonia – St. Bonaventure
Rochester – Niagara
“I’m just excited to work with them again,” Pyke closed. “It was tough not being able to be there for the last year-and-a-half. It’s exciting to get other people into the game and loving the game and figuring out the community aspect of it. I’m excited to see what we can do and work with so many ppl who want to get these athletes opportunities to play and showcase their talents.”