Men's Rugby Falls Just Short at Division II Nationals

Author: Peter Yordan

The Middlebury men's rugby team roused itself out of its hibernation from this year's harsh and extended Vermont winter for its one brief moment in the spring sun, traveling to Texas for the NCAA Division II National Championship tournament. The Panthers, though valiant in their struggles to overcome the limits imposed on them by tough weather conditions this season, fell in a heated first round match to the University of Northern Colorado, 24-19 before recovering for a 26-0 victory in their consolation match.
Middlebury traveled to Sam Houston State University for Nationals looking to avenge last year's tough quarterfinal loss to eventual champions Stanford. The team had managed an impressive undefeated fall season, riding its superior depth and fitness to its second consecutive Northeast Territory championship.
Mother Nature and Old Man Winter, however, conspired to do what no fall opponent could - take the Panthers out of their game. Like most spring teams, the Panthers found themselves inside, staring out at their snowy fields for most of the season. The team was forced to content themselves with scaled-down, non-contact practices for all but the last week of their preseason while most of its future opponents around the country were out playing a full spring season. "Playing indoors is tough because you're not allowed to tackle," said Ben Herter '04. "We were well conditioned, but we just didn't have the physicality aspect we needed." The team made do as best they could, with regular weight-training and conditioning work often rousing themselves long before the sun came up in an effort to get out and work. "If it wasn't 6:00 a.m. practices because the fields were full, it was snow," said Philippe Danielides '04 of his team's frustrations. "You can practice as much as you can, but until you get out there and play you can't get ready for a championship caliber game."
It was with high spirits, however, that the team left for Huntsville, Texas to take on their first round match-up, the Northern Colorado Bears. The Bears brought a big, physical team to the match, and the game quickly turned into a bitter struggle. Northern Colorado scored quickly, breaking in with a try only three minutes into the game. The Panthers responded with one of their own five minutes later, and the battle was on. "We were a better team," said Herter. "They were just lucky to have had a full spring season and be at peak performance." Middlebury, though rusty, was not about to back down. The team faced with intense offensive pressure, managed a truly memorable second half goal line defensive stand, stopping the Bears from five meters out for some 10 minutes. The tide of the match turned when senior Mark Danbe was assessed a costly 10 minute trip to the sin bin in the 50th minute for what the match officials ruled was a high tackle. The Bears scored two unanswered tries and Middlebury was unable to recover, falling in bitter fashion 24-19.
The Panthers had no time to lick their wounds, however, with a consolation match against host school Sam Houston State the next day. "We were pretty discouraged," said Herter, "but we didn't come all the way down to Texas to leave without winning." Middlebury took out its frustrations on the BearKats, showing off the form that made them number five in the country on route to a thorough 26-0 defeat of their opponents. Captain Jody Kramer '03 was the offensive star in the game, notching two tries. "We hadn't worked hard all fall and spring to come away with two losses," said Danielides. "On our team pride means a lot."