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USMA Honors Seniors in Fall Game #2

  • 19 Nov 2020
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11.19 UPDATE: The USMA vs. USCGA game was canceled.

The service academies are in a unique position in terms of Covid-19 restrictions, as isolation from the outside world doesn’t require the adjustments that the civilian world needs. Entire student bodies were allowed to return to campus, and while athletics were impacted, they weren’t outright canceled. Still, the competition pool is limited given the number of academies that have women’s rugby teams and ample administrative support.

The U.S. Military Academy (“Army”) is slated to play its second and final 15s match of the fall this Friday. The cadets traveled to the U.S. Naval Academy on Oct. 31 for a 39-0 win against the Midshipmen, but the return match on Nov. 14 was canceled due to positive Covid-19 cases on the Annapolis, Md., grounds. The U.S. Coast Guard Academy has replaced that fixture and the Bears will travel to West Point, N.Y., for a 15s match on the Hudson River.

The Black Knights are grateful for the game, but it has been a strange fall. Following a two-week quarantine, the team assembled on Aug. 31 and progressed through a five-week, return-to-sport protocol. The build-up not only incorporated Covid-19 precautions but also respected the impact of little to no summer training on the cadets’ bodies. Players began in groups of six and added new drills and skills as the pods grew. Eventually contact was reintroduced but it was a slow buildup.

“It was weird, training with no games coming up,” Army head coach Bill LeClerc said. “But it gave them some form of normality in coming down [to Anderson Rugby Complex], catching a ball and running around. I’m not going to lie, quite a few kids are struggling with it in the simple sense that they’re locked down and can’t go anywhere. Freshmen don’t know any better. ‘This is what it’s like anyway.’ But the seniors’ leave and passes have been cut off and they’re stuck here. The seniors are like freshmen.”

Eleanor Burnett and Sydney Dawson are the captains, and they’re two of seven seniors who will be honored on Friday.

“It’s an experienced, good group of firsties,” LeClerc surveyed his seniors. “They’re just a really good, solid group who have fun together and have gone through some challenging times now. I always marvel that they’re still together and want to see each other after 47 months at the academy.”

Much like the game against Navy, the seniors will get field time against Coast Guard Friday.

“I wanted to make sure all our available senior players could get out there and play – it’s something we try to do every time we play Navy,” LeClerc said of the Oct. 31 match. “And I didn’t know if they’d come here on the 14th or not, so we put all our firsties out there because it could be their last chance to play. As it turned out, that wasn’t a bad idea.”

The game against Navy looked a lot like a season-opener but provided a glimpse into the team’s potential.

“I was talking to [Navy head coach] Murph [McCarthy] afterward and he said, ‘I can’t believe you spent most of the first half in our 22 and came away with hardly any points,’” LeClerc said. “That surprised me as well but Navy defended well and put us under pressure. When we had chances to score, we didn’t finish. That was a lack of execution but it’s to be expected when you don’t play for a year. You can train all you want but you don’t know how anyone’s going to react until they’re in the heat of the game.

“We had some new players and some in different positions – it’s a new team every year,” the coach continued. “We lost Sammy [Sullivan], Gio [Ferguson-Lewis] and Damaria [Morton], and they’ve left some big holes. We got dependent on the finishing power of Sammy and Damaria, and the power of Gio, and now others have to step up.”

With that said, LeClerc is excited about the junior class, who are the “big drivers” of the team right now. Flyhalf Alex DiMarco, center Charisma Henry and hooker McKenzie Borchers all scored against Navy, while sophomore No. 8 Julia Riekena (2) and senior wing Abrianna Williams also scored tries in Annapolis.

The game against Coast Guard will mark the end of the fall season. LeClerc indicated that cadets will remain in West Point for the Thanksgiving break and then depart for winter break. Some sports teams will need to return to campus early but not the rugby team. The coach indicated that training will resume in mid-February through early May.

Although the fall season has been challenging, there were silver linings for Army. Kaitlyn Kelly joined the staff as the program’s first full-time assistant, and the slower-paced fall allowed for smoother integration.

“Steve [Lewis] and Lara [Vivolo] were part-time [assistant coaches] and couldn’t be here all day, so they’d show up for the sessions and leave,” LeClerc said. “We’ve had a lot of success on the field the last four years but more things needed more attention to detail, and one person couldn’t do it justice. Kaitlyn graduated from here and was on the 2011 championship team when we were a club. Now we’re a Core Squad Sport, so a lot has changed, but she’s part of the development.

“We’ve had the opportunity to find a rhythm and get philosophies right. Make sure we’re on the same page and have the same core principles – stuff like that,” the coach continued. “Just the ability to have someone in the office, to sit there and bounce ideas off of, and she comes to things with a different point of view. She can relate to the cadets in a different way than they do with me, which is fine and really important for me as well because she’s experienced everything that a female cadet goes through in a place like West Point. She’s experienced and gives sound advice when helping out young players. It’s just been really good in that sense.”

On the down side, recruitment has been difficult this year. All collegiate programs have had to adapt but LeClerc asserted that in-person visits really make it or break it for potential cadets. “It’s a people business,” as LeClerc says, meaning the academy is training future employees, so a mutual fit is key.

“’Military academy’ conjures all different kinds of ideas,” LeClerc said. “Official visits allow kids to stay on campus, watch a game, and get an idea of what West Point would be like. It either speaks to you or it doesn’t.”

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With that said, the rugby team has access to a readymade pool of recruits on campus. Some of the team’s best players have been walk-ons, like All-American Sullivan, 6’1” hurdler-turned-wing Sydney Hawkins, and the powerful, balanced Zye Crittington. This year’s team has also added some promising talent from outside of the sport.

“There are two water polo players from South Dakota. Both of their dads went to West Point. We’re getting more daughters of past grads, which is nice,” LeClerc said. “Their rugby experience is relatively limited but they’re good athletes, and they’re good kids and know what to expect. Kaylee Cargile was a walk-on last year and didn’t know what she was doing, but the thing she did know, she did well. ‘If I get the ball, I run this way very hard.’ And it was perfect. She’ll get more games and learn the nuances of the game, but she has some natural gifts. At the end of the day, you can’t put in what god left out.”

The Army vs. Coast Guard match occurs on Friday, Nov. 20 at 4 p.m. Eastern, and will be live-streamed via Knight Vision.

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