Records were broken last Saturday afternoon as the West Chester University Golden Ram rugby team entertained the Senior Day crowd with a blowout performance, easing past York College by the score of 72-0.Although it was unfortunately the final game of the season, with the Lady Rams missing the playoffs this year, the season finale was nothing short of spectacular. Drew Groswith, in her final collegiate game, got the team started early on in the first half, scoring a try in the first seven minutes. Krista Seibert scored early on in the half as well, scoring her first collegiate try in her three years on the field.
After running out to an early 10-0 lead, the Rams just kept tacking them on. Cheryl Johnson ended the season as hot as she has been all year, scoring two trys in the first half. Known for her speed and agility around the outside, Johnson’s two scores were both on runs of more then 30 meters.
Senior Ali Vandermay scored a try in the first half, and freshman Sara Waltman did as well. Coach Tony DeRemer is pleased with Waltman’s performance as of late, saying she has become much of a factor out on the field.
The Golden Rams had a commanding 38-0 lead going into the half.
Six trys were scored in the first half, and the second half played out pretty much the same way, as the Lady Rams scored six more trys to drive the final score to 72.
Brittany Miller and Devon Tucker combined for four trys in the half, two a piece. The other two scores came by Anna McGlade and Maddie Kreibel.
Megan Lamm had an outstanding day kicking for the team, as she converted six of the 12 trys for a total of 12 points on the day. The Lady Ram rugby team ended the season on a three game win streak where they shut out their final two teams and averaged a whopping 63 point per game.
And as if that wasn’t enough, the team added a few new records as well. First off, they broke the record for total points scored in a single season. The season that the old record was held in had four more games then this year as well.
The second record broken was an all time low for total points scored against them in a single season. This means this year’s offense and defense were the best ever.
Coach DeRemer is happy with his team’s performance this season, and is already looking on to next year’s campaign.
“The team is training very hard and the seniors on the team have been instrumental in creating a motivating team culture,” DeRemer said.
Maureen Rae, graduating senior, expressed how important it is for the team to really play as a team.
Coach is pleased with the way the seniors have trained up the underclassmen, and taught them the importance of playing as a team. The loss of seniors this year will put a dent in their depth, but he is confident can fill in. One big loss to the team are the captains, Mary Bocchino and Emily Reifsnyder.
“They have done a great job as captains over the past year and have motivated the team by example, and by on and off field positive reinforcement,” DeRemer said.
DeRemer added that the team has definitely responded to their leadership, and their scoring points is a direct result of that. Much of their power on offense is credited as well to Brittany Miller and Cheryl Johnson. Those two have added a speed factor to the Lady Ram squad that hasn’t been there in the recent past.
One player that coach DeRemer commented on was Brianne Feinour. She has spent the year learning the flyhalf position well, and has become one of the keys to success for the team in the backline.
“In years past, it’s been tough to get the ball to our outside backs because our passes were never getting out to them,” DeRemer said. “But this year, Brianne is capable of getting the ball to our hard runners and our speed.”
The front line is where some damage will be done with graduating seniors and ineligible athletes. The team will be losing Groswith, Michelle Gerlach, Vandermay, Maureen Rae, and Seibert.
The back line is looking promising for the next season, as no starters will be lost. Some ‘up and coming talent’ that should help out there is found in Mary Kay Heaton and Jenna McGrath. Both are very capable of stepping into the lineup according to coach DeRemer.
He is also excited about some recruits that will be joining the team in the fall who he hopes can have an immediate impact on the team. One of these recruits is the sister of graduating captain Mary Bocchino.
“We are hoping that she can fill her sister’s shoes at some point in the future,” he said.
The WCU Lady Ram rugby team ends the 2009-2010 campaign with a nice 8-5 record, nothing to be ashamed about. They took the runner up spot in the EPRU championship, and just missed out on a Sweet Sixteen birth. Next year’s goal will be to improve on this year’s performance, and hopefully earn a trip back to Nationals in April.
Ryan Frisco is a third-year student majoring in Communication studies. He can be reached at RF648257@wcupa.edu.