WSC rugby to play at West Point

Courtney Upah, Staff Writer

The journey continues. A quest for another National Championship is within reach.

The women’s rugby team dominated the tournament Sunday in Sioux Falls, and the Wildcats are moving on to compete in the Elite Eight tournament for yet another opportunity for a National Championship in their already historic dynasty.

WSC faced off against three different teams and won all three games, each by a landslide.

They defeated Simpson College 34-7, Northern State 49-7 and Augustana 46-0.

“As a team we played smoothly and worked well together,” rugby player Jasmine Kovacs said. “I enjoyed seeing all the competition in our region and their playing styles. It was awesome getting out on the field with my team and winning.”

With the women’s rugby team winning seems like a good way to describe how Sunday went, since WSC never gave up more than seven points in any of their games.

They were able to run their offense effectively while playing some stifling, hard-nosed defense.

If the Wildcats keep this pace up, it could be their fourth national title, and it doesn’t hurt that they’re going into the next competition ranked first in the nation.

“For the first time this year, we were running on all cylinders. It was impressive to watch. We are going into the Elite Eight ranked number-one in the nation,” rugby coach Darrin Barner said.

Women’s rugby is moving on to play in Nationals May 1 and 2 at the USA Army West Point fields.

The Army field is located near New York City and it’s at the new eight million dollar rugby stadium.

Their first match up will be against William and Mary from Virginia, and the ‘Cats will attempt to defend their national title and add another one to their record of legacy.

“Things do point that we are on the tracks for a 4th national title, and with some luck, we will be in the national championship game with hard work this week,” Barner said.