The Allegheny union is making its first step toward naming its Midwest representatives, as the women’s DII colleges face off in their semifinals this weekend. The competition is shaping up like last year, with Pittsburgh, Slippery Rock and Indiana University of Pennsylvania all taking the top seeds out of their divisions.

Ranking these three teams is difficult. Last year, Pitt won the Allegheny title, but then lost 10-5 to IUP during the Midwest quarterfinals. Slippery Rock bowed out during the quarters as well after a 10-5 loss to eventual DII finalist Notre Dame, which now plays in DI.

Fortunately, since all three teams made it past the first round, Allegheny should retain three seeds to Midwests.

For Pittsburgh, these trips to territorial championships are more of a recent evolution in the team’s history. When Anthony Simasek took over as coach in 2009, the team had been finishing in the bottom half of the league. The team had been coached by a pair of Pittsburgh Angels, and when it was time to change hands, the former coaches asked their male counterparts to fill their roles.

Simasek had coached girls’ soccer before, but not rugby. He was pleasantly surprised to find the team averaging about 25 players on the roster, and even more so with the players’ eagerness to learn. After some success, the team now boasts 60 players on the roster and three coaches on staff.

“The attitude of the girls got better and they wanted to play higher-level rugby,” Simasek reflected. “We brought in some structure, and those two elements led to a growth in numbers.”

All three Allegheny headliners play in different divisions, and they’ve generally been crushing league opponents (exception being IUP’s 17-15 over West Virginia).

“It’s tough for us because of where we’re located,” Simasek explained. “We’re in western Pennsylvania but it’s like we’re an annex. MARFU thinks we’re out west; the Midwest thinks we’re out east, but we’re not that far from either. We’re stuck in our bubble.”

It isn’t until the Allegheny semifinals that the three top teams see some quality competition. Simasek supplemented the team’s fall schedule with games against women’s clubs, and makes sure there are two players competing for every position to keep players engaged.

Although Pitt has had much practice on defense this season, Simasek’s team has had plenty of time to work on its offensive patterns, which likes to keep play moving into space. The players offload in contact, insert forwards into the backline, and use their undersized yet agile physiques to outrun larger teams.

One player in particular who has really embraced Pitt’s style of place and recognized on the Midwest scene is inside center Jessie Young. She’s been having a fantastic year and leads the backs’ attack. Captain Chelsey Mitchell at second row has taken on a great leadership role in the pack. She leads by example, is a work horse around the field, in every ruck and maul, and tough in scrums and lineouts.

As a promising class of freshmen works its way into the lineup, Simasek has every reason to be excited about this year. He only lost four players from last year, and nearly all of the starters have returned. Those returners are equally excited for some retribution on the territorial stage.

“Our loss to IUP at Midwests last year has stuck with the players,” Simasek said. “It was a big step to win the conference last year, and the Midwest quarterfinal was the farthest that any of them had gone in their rugby careers. It was a big confidence boost, and they’ve set the goal of reaching the Midwest final four this year.”

Looking ahead to this weekend and the possibility of facing either IUP or Slippery Rock, Simasek said: They’re always very athletic. It’s a matter of recognizing where their athletes are and minimizing their impact.

After this weekend, the four semifinalists will return to play in the championship weekend and determine the top three seeds heading to Midwests.

KSU's Kenny Scott in Action for the Blues. Clifton photo

The sixth qualifying tournament for USA Rugby’s inaugural college 7s championship takes place Saturday in Norman, Okla., where traditional Big XII schools meet in a competition born out of the old Big XII 15s tournament.

“This tournament has given everyone a lot of great memories through the years. It was always great to get people from different regions who never got to see each other in normally,” said Oklahoma coach and tournament organizer Kenny Forehand. “Now, the stakes are higher, and it will be great to see the traditional rivals go at it for a national berth.”

OU, Texas, Texas A&M and Kansas State are expected to be the tournament frontrunners, as all have done relatively well in warm-up events. OU has the most cred, winning two ancillary events. A&M, though, is the probable host of the national championship tournament to be held Dec. 16-17, and it's never fun hosting a tournament in which you're not playing, so the Aggies will be starving for an automatic qualification.

The Longhorns knocked off OU in front of NBC’s cameras in June, and the Sooners returned the favor this fall in the final of A&M 7s, the same tournament in which the Aggies beat OU in pool play but lost to the Sooners in the knockout stages. Kansas State suffered the same fate at the Heart of America conference tournament, beating the Sooners in pool play only to lose to them in the final.

K-State’s entrance into 7s may have come a year too late, as Dan Knapp and Joe D’Agostino, who have years of 7s experience playing with the Kansas City Blues, graduated in May. D’Agostino played for the West all star 7s team in 2010.

So did Kenny Scott, who has been the Blues 7s team’s most potent scoring threat the last couple of summers. Scott is still a Wildcat, and he’s been trying to catch his team up on the nuances of the abbreviated game.

“Right now, it’s more just letting the guys experience something new. Not a lot of people know a lot about 7s rugby or the strategy behind it,” said Scott. “It’s a different game when you get out there – it’s faster paced, your fitness really gets tested, your skills, and tackling is one major thing we kind of pride ourselves on that we need to showcase this weekend.”  

One K-State newcomer who figures to factor in this weekend is Matt Dierks, a former Kansas City Jr. Blue.

“He came up and he really hasn’t missed a beat at all transitioning from different levels,” said Scott. “He still needs to learn to be a bit more vocal and observe the field a little bit and not just pick the ball up and run like a chicken with his head cut off. He should make a big contribution this weekend.”

Can any of these teams earn a an at-large bid to the national event should they lose this weekend? It would appear Oklahoma would have a definite chance if they finish in the top four, since they have already won two warm-up events, beating this tournament's heaviest hitters. Texas, A&M and K-State could also be on the bubble if they finish second this weekend.