2015 D-III College Championships - Women's Day One Recap
Nick Povalitis
Posted: May 16, 2015 10:13 PM
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Sixteen teams compete for a championship in the sixth year of the D-III College Championships in Rockford, Ill., May 16-17.
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No. 1 Truman State, no. 2 Rice, no. 9 Puget Sound, no. 10 Bowdoin highlight day one in the women’s division at 2015 USA Ultimate Division III College Championship.
Saturday
The 2015 USA Ultimate Division III College Championships opened play Saturday in Rockford, Ill. Top-ranked Rice and second-ranked Truman State lived up to their elite rankings, as each finished with a 3-0 record to secure spots in the championship bracket.
Truman State cruised past Carleton College-Eclipse, 14-6, and Lehigh, 15-3. Truman State then outlasted sixth-ranked Williams, 11-9. Rice used an efficient attack en route to 15-9, 15-7 and 15-6 wins against Wake Forest, St Olaf and Luther, respectively. The 2014 national champion, Rice is attempting to become the first team to repeat as national champions since USA Ultimate formed Division III in 2010.
Pool C held the most intrigue in the women’s division. While Truman State and Rice held seed with relative ease, third-ranked Grinnell, the pool’s top seed, went 0-3 in pool play. No. 10 Bowdoin, the 2013 D-III champion, took advantage, reeling off three straight wins, including a 13-6 victory against 2012 champion Claremont, to reserve their spot in Sunday’s championship bracket. Hamilton improved on their 2014 performance, but fell decidedly to Williams in the pre-quarterfinal round.
In Pool D, top-seeded Valparaiso dropped their opening game before winning three straight – their final two pool play games, including a nail-biting 13-12 victory over St. Benedict, and their pre-quarterfinals match up against Luther College, to make their way back to Sunday’s championship play. Like Bowdoin in Pool C, overall nine seed, and the pool’s three seed, Puget Sound advanced through pool play with three straight wins.
Carleton College, St. Olaf and Williams each bounced back from imperfect performances in pool play and survived their respective pre-quarterfinals match ups to earn their place in Sunday’s championship bracket.
The field of 16 played through difficult, windy and rainy conditions much of the day after an early 20-minute downpour. Mud-soaked fields slowed play a bit and lingered until the final horn at 6:15 p.m.
Sunday
Sunday’s championship and consolation bracket play resumes at 8 a.m. at Sportscore Two, a Rockford Park District facility. The quarterfinal match ups first thing tomorrow morning are Williams v. Rice, Carleton v. Puget Sound, Valparaiso v. Bowdoin, and St. Olaf v. Truman State.
Semifinal play is slated for 10 a.m., while the national championship game is set for 12 p.m.
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