National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) ran its first officially sanctioned tournament of 2021 with the Great Plains 7s Regional Championship in Wayne, Neb., last Saturday. Eight teams comprised the women’s bracket, and the University of Northern Iowa went 4-0, defeating host Wayne State College 20-19 in a thrilling final.
RELATED: Fixtures & Results: April 23-24
“I’m really proud of them, 1-20,” UNI head coach Meghan Flanigan enthused. “Even those who didn’t play were still there cheering on the girls and doing so with such amazing attitudes. I’ve told them this before, but this team is special, and they’ve really made me fall in love with rugby again. They bring a totally different aspect of fun and enjoyment to the game, and I trust them completely. I’m more calm than I’ve been as a coach, and it’s because of these girls.”
UNI was able to hold no-contact practices during the fall and advanced to the semifinal round of NCR’s virtual season (read more). Of the 20 players who signed on for the spring, only two had ever played 7s before.
“My vets and captains are very athletic and competitive in nature, and they really led the team,” Flanigan said praised junior captain Maggie Burns and senior captain Lynn Kleyer in particular. “The new players trusted the vets and what they taught, and like sponges they just soaked up all the information and put what they learned onto the pitch.”
Flanigan also leaned on a former UNI teammate to develop the team leadership. Crystal Nye has a master’s industrial and organizational psychology and provides professional coaching services. The two were curious how life coaching would impact the UNI captains in a team setting. So starting in late January, Flanigan, Burns and Kleyer met with Nye and a colleague for weekly sessions.
“There was absolutely nothing wrong with how they were leading the team before, but these coaching sessions have greatly impacted how they interact with the team now,” Flanigan said. “They’re figuring out who they are and their confidence has soared through the roof. You see it in their body language, you hear it in their voices. They’ve just taken charge. I’ve taken more of a step back than I ever had in practices and games because they know what to say, or when to stop a drill and change a few things. And they’re so well respected by their peers.”
UNI played three weekends of 7s in March and April, seeing teams from South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri. All those games occurred on the road, because the Panthers don’t have a home field, or any dedicated practice space at home right now. The team’s previous pitch was demolished for a new high school, and the new fields on campus aren’t ready yet. There is no other practice space at the university so every week, the team is driving around Cedar Falls and Waterloo looking for park space.
“The girls have gone through a lot of adversity just within our university … so having a more structured weekend made them feel more legit,” Flanigan said of the Great Plains 7s Regional Championship. “We’re back on a rugby pitch and there’s ARs and a sir and announcements, and the field was set up nicely. And there was a practice pitch so we could actually warm up. That structure and mindset of, ‘This is a regional championship and we’re going after it,’ they loved it. It was something to play for and to show those back home that we weren’t practicing in a park to practice in a park. We’re practicing to win a championship.”
Lynn Kleyer
The eight teams split into the pools of four, and then places were determined in a final cross-pool round. UNI got the nerves against Univ. Central Missouri with a 30-0 win and then played a very tough Univ. South Dakota. The teams had met each other earlier in the spring and it came down a try in UNI’s favor, and the same result evolved in the rematch: 15-10 to the Panthers. The Iowa side poured that momentum in the final pool game against St. Scholastica, and the 49-0 victory sent the team into the final.
On the other side of the bracket, Wayne State College had posted equally solid wins: 43-12 vs. South Dakota State, 43-5 vs. Kansas State / Benedictine College, 42-5 vs. Iowa State. The Wildcats and Panthers had also met earlier in the season, and the former won a close game.
“They were pumped. They wanted to play Wayne State, for sure,” Flanigan said. “When they lost to them the first time, they knew they could have won, and from that moment on, they worked really hard in practice.
“They knew they had to play pretty much a perfect game to win,” the coach continued. “They had to keep possession, have good support, and no knock-ons or turnovers. When on defense, they had to communicate and commit to one-on-one tackles. And they had to play with heart. This is not Wayne State’s first rodeo. They’ve played and won a lot of 7s.”
A true championship evolved. UNI took the first lead through sophomore Aubrey Buresh, and then teams traded tries throughout the rest of the match. Wayne State College was more successful with the conversions and led UNI 14-10 at the break. The teams added an unconverted try apiece, and the score sat at 19-15 to the Wildcats with fewer than two minutes remaining in the game. Buresh struck again for the go-ahead points, 20-19, and then UNI just had to hold on.
“I will never forget that moment of Burns taking it from the breakdown and kicking it out bounds and the whistle blowing,” Flanigan said. “Burns ran into my arms and the rest of the team was instantly in tears, just bawling. That was a pivotal moment in how it all played out – the constant rollercoaster was just like our season back home, with all the highs and lows and obstacles we’ve faced. The win is a testament to the girls and the team never giving up and pushing to the very end. It’s my favorite memory as a coach and a player.”
The coach lauded the round team performance, but called out a few standouts.
“I was really impressed with Alexis Dirksen and Kayla Dustin,” Flanigan said. “I was contemplating not starting them for the final. They were doing alright but they just weren’t having their best performances in that tournament. I talked to them beforehand and they said, ‘We got you, coach. We want to do this.’ They were at every ruck supporting the ball-runner and setting up their teammates to score.”
Buresh received high praise for her finishing ability, and the coach praised freshman Patyon Schutte for her defensive tracking and care of the corners. Both captains showed well, with Burns earning tournament MVP and linking so well with the hard-carrying Tatyana Reed (both were named to the all-tournament team). Kleyer tidied up the whole team performance, constantly communicating and guiding the team through every phase. The graduating senior was invited to attend USWRF’s L200 coaching clinic on May 8 in North Carolina, and UNI will fly her out for that unique opportunity.
“She’s put in four years of hard work and dedication to be the players she is now, and the word ‘pride’ doesn’t do justice to how I feel about her journey,” Flanigan said of Kleyer. “We’re sad to see her go but excited to see what she achieves next. I’ve never seen a player like her. She wants to play at the upper level, and she will.”
Fortunately for the Panthers, the season is not yet over. Flanigan is hoping to schedule another triangle with Iowa State and Des Moines Women, and then 12 players and staff are driving to New Orleans for CRC May Madness 7s tournament on Memorial Day Weekend. The event occurs three weeks after finals, so the underclassmen will be crashing on teammates’ couches as the campus closes.
“They are viewing it as the perfect gift for everything they have endured the past 18 months and from all the hard work they’ve put into the season, school, work,” Flanigan said. “It’s (a) an opportunity to prove to themselves that they’re a good team and (b) an opportunity to just enjoy the game of rugby and be in stadium and surrounded by all these other great rugby teams for a long weekend.”
Fellow NCR teams Baldwin Wallace (Ohio), Grace College (Ind.), Wayne State College (Neb.) and Bryant University (Mass.) have signed on, and the Allegheny (Pa.) conference is sending an all-star team. CRC long-timers Life Univ. (Ga.) and Lindenwood Univ. (Mo.), as also Davenport Univ. (Mich.) have recently announced their attendance.
“They’re excited to play those teams. They know that if they want to be the best then they need to play the best,” Flanigan said. “They still have a competitive nature and want to do well, but they also know it’s an experience of a lifetime that will help grow the program as a whole and put UNI back on the map.”
GREAT PLAINS 7s
ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM
1. Isabelle (Izzy) Robinson – Wayne State #3
2. Selma Taylor – Wayne State #9
3. Maggie Burns – UNI #5
4. Tatyana Reed – UNI #3
5. Hannah Schuberg – Benedictine #9
6. Eden Liebenthal – USD #9
7. Trixie Jo Schlecter – USD #14