It was a heartbreaking weekend of "almosts" and "could-have-beens" for Dartmouth rugby; the men's team lost the Ivy League title to Brown while the women's team lost the Eastern Championship to Princeton by a hair.
After many months of preparation, including a spring tour in England, the women ruggers traveled to Princeton for the weekend.Along with Amherst, Dartmouth represented New England at Easterns. The winner of the tournament represents the East at the National Championships.
On Saturday Dartmouth warmed up by crushing Rutgers64-0 with tries by Elisabeth Kann '96, Jenny Bentwood '96, Cristy Nguyen '95, Cynthia Kelmenson '95, Beth Haas '98, Captain Keirsten Lawton '94, Nicolette Van der Lee '95 and Sue Vernal '97. Lawton also kicked for four conversions and two penalties. The team looked as strong as ever although a key player, Erica Puccio '95, was sidelined with a knee injury.
Later in the afternoon, Dartmouth faced a more formidable Amherst team.Tries by Captain Elisabeth Kann '96 and forward Rachell Katz '97 brought the final score to 12-0 and advanced Dartmouth to the final match against Princeton on Sunday. A win would put the National Championship in sight.
But desire and togetherness were no match for luck. Though Dartmouth dominated the first half on Sunday, the try line evaded them. A team push resulted in a try for Van der Lee, but after years of losing to the Dartmouth ruggers, Princeton was angry. By the end of the first half, they had scored on two tries and conversions as well as a penalty, bringing the score to 15-5.
The second half was more evenly matched than the first. A try by Cristy Nguyen '95 brought the score to 15-10, but Princeton held out for the win.
"This was a heartbreaking loss because we worked so hard to get there and were really the better team; this year's team embodies what rugby should be.Our strengths lie in mauling and handling skills, but we let them take us out of our game for just long enough to win," Coach Deb Archambault said.
The women's rugby club hopes to defend its Ivy League title later in the spring, when they will again encounter Princeton.
The men faced similar frustration at the Ivy League tournament in Washington, D.C. The Dartmouth rugby football club trounced the University of Pennsylvania in the first round by a score of 64-0. Two tries apiece were scored by Todd Aaron '96, Ray Wadlow '95, and Mikail Morn '97.
The semifinals pitted Dartmouth against Harvard.Two tries by winger Guy Dixon '95 and one by Fullback Adam Dixon '95 gave Dartmouth a 19-3 victory.
The first half of the final against Brown was close and hard-fought. A Brown try answered with a penalty kick by Ray Wadlow '95 brought the score to 7-3 for Brown. A second Brown try was countered when Wadlow scored from a weak side play by Todd Aaron '96. Brown led 14-8 at the half.
The Dartmouth men looked strong at the start of the second half. TorbjornDimblad '97 scored early, but Brown soon gained control, never to relent, taking advantage of poor kicking by the Dartmouth backs. The final score was 48-13.
"I thought we were going to win in the middle, but when Brown pulled ahead, we didn't respond. I was surprised at the extent of our loss because we beat them in the regular season," Coach Wayne Young said.
