Georgetown Leads Division II Rankings, Vermont Aims for Top Spot
By Priscilla Jepchumba
After suffering painful defeats to Memphis in the 7s national championship game quarterfinals in April and at the last second in Knoxville, Tennessee, last year, the Hoyas appear hungry and prepared for a national title run.
Georgetown hosted elite coaches for a rugby clinic in 2023. Speaking at the event, Georgetown men's club rugby head coach Arno van der Spek said the privilege of hosting elite coaches cannot be overstated.
“For us, it’s immense, right?” said Spek. “Stuff gets stale quickly, trends change, so we need to keep up with it and learning from the best with these guys, it’s a great asset,” van der Spek said in an interview with The Hoya. The team’s hard work seems to have paid off.
In the recently formed North Atlantic Conference—a conglomeration of the Colonial Coast and New England Wide conferences—Vermont is ranked second. The Catamounts, who placed in the last four of the previous seasons, had a better lineup led by Jack Worobel and Eric Rosenmeyer.
Even though they won the national championship in December and had a fantastic senior class, Indiana University of Pennsylvania is only placed third. The Crimson Hawks are back with four All-Americans: scrumhalf R.J. Beach, fullback Dom Holmes, prop Cameron Taylor, and flanker Dylan McAnulty.
They also have flyhalf Santino Fischio and exceptional No. 8 Trent Stalling, who scored the game-winning try against Memphis. In addition to several intriguing players that have transferred in, they also add Gavin Prebish.
Salisbury, a seasoned blueblood, is returning to Division II. DII national titles were won by the Sharks in 1996, 1997, and 2013. They then played in DI-AA for a few years. Going back to the DII gives Georgetown a potential opponent in the Mid-Atlantic and rekindles their longtime rivalry with Towson.
The Great Midwest will continue to be evenly distributed, and it's feasible that the area may deliver its fourth champion in a row. There will be a quarterfinal playoff phase once more, allowing more teams to showcase their abilities.
In the South Division, Northwestern, Loyola, and Chicago should certainly contend for the top spot, while Benedictine, an unnamed newcomer, is trying to leave a mark as well.
Despite losing some of their best players in their championship push the previous year, Northern Iowa, the defending champion, has a lot of young, seasoned players joining them.
Throughout the upcoming fall season, depth will be crucial since both Marquette and UW-Whitewater seem eager to make lengthy postseason runs.
This year might be the year when No. 4 Montana State defeats Colorado Mesa in the High Peaks. The Bobcats have started preseason training earlier and stepped up their recruitment efforts.
UNC Wilmington is the overwhelming favorite in the South Conference, while the defending champion Memphis Tigers is ranked ninth in the Southeast Collegiate Rugby Conference.
The Tigers received a preview of what to expect in 2024 when they lost top flyhalf Connor Dempsey to a knee injury in the playoffs of the previous season, after he graduated.
Missouri Science & Technology and Washington University are competing for the title of reigning champion, and the Gateway is up for grabs. On September 13, the Bears and Billikens will play on Friday Night Lights.
JUDY ROTICH