Six teams are making their CRC debut in the Women’s Premier Cup, including NCAA programs West Chester, New Haven, Lander, Bowdoin and Mount St. Mary’s. 11 of the 16 teams in the Premier Cup are varsity, giving this women’s field more student athletes in a daily training environment than any CRC ever before.
For one program, this is the final competition, as Notre Dame College is closing its doors after the spring semester. Most of the team is expected to land at Walsh University an hour down the road in North Canton, OH. The Falcons have a tough first round draw in Lander, who comes in with an impressive 16-0-1 record. The Bearcats’ lone blemish was a draw with Army at Tropical 7s in Tampa, FL, but they bounced back to win the tournament, scoring notable wins over Dartmouth and Harvard.
Defending champion Brown returns as a heavy favorite. The Bears have already scored wins over three other Premier Cup sides this spring, besting Northeastern, American International College and Penn State. MA Soreson Award nominee Akila Cathey played a big role in lifting Brown over Army in last year’s final, and she returns in top form. If the Bears repeat, head coach Ros Chou will tie the record for all-time Women’s CRC titles with four.
Drawing Brown in the opening round is debutant Minnesota, champions of the Midwest. The Golden Gophers knocked off perennial conference champion Northern Iowa to get here.
2023 runner up Army looms large on the other side of the bracket. The Black Knights have had some mixed results this spring, but boast plenty of talent. Plebe Yesenia Morales is their leading scorer and currently in the player pool for the U20 national team, and junior Emma Gamboa is a live wire.
If anyone can keep the Black Knights from returning to the final, it could well be AIC. The Yellow Jackets tussled with Army four times this spring, winning one. They have a pair of Irish standouts in Aifric Ni Ghibne and Ivana Kiripati, both of whom cut their teeth in the Connacht age grade system. Kiripati was recently pulled into the training pool for Ireland’s Six Nations campaign.
The two opening rounds of the Women’s Premier Cup bracket will be played Saturday, with the latter rounds playing out Sunday. All Premier Cup games national will be streamed live on The Rugby Network.
