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AIC women’s rugby begins play as varsity team in fall 2015

Date: 2/27/2015

SPRINGFIELD – American International College elevated the women's rugby program from club to varsity status Athletic Director Matt Johnson announced earlier this semester.

The program will begin varsity competition in the fall of 2015 and becomes the 25th varsity sport sponsored by the Yellow Jackets.

This past fall, under the guidance of first-year head coach Dimitri Efthimiou, the team had a very successful campaign, turning in an 8-4 record with all four losses coming at the hands of perennial powerhouse Norwich University.

The transition will involve continuing improvements the college has already made in such areas as travel, facility scheduling, apparel and equipment support, and athletic communications. The jump will lead to stronger recruiting classes and continued success in battling the top teams in the Nation.

AIC will join the National Collegiate Varsity Women's Rugby Association (NCVWRA) and becomes its tenth member.  Formed this past September, the NCVWRA's other nine members are: Army, Bowdoin, Brown, Central Washington, Harvard, Norwich, Quinnipiac, Sacred Heart and West Chester.  The association looks to serve as the primary point of contact with the NCAA, which classifies women's rugby as an emerging sport, on issues related to intercollegiate women's rugby. Membership in the NCVWRA is open to NCAA schools in all divisions who commit to sponsoring women's rugby at the varsity level.

In the fall of 2010, the women's rugby team took the field for the first time in the New England Rugby Football Union's fourth women's collegiate division.  Josh Macy, Director of Rugby at the time, developed the club team as part of the College's recreation program.  The team, consisting primarily of women on campus who had never played rugby before, was competitive within their respective Division.

Additionally, Macy recruited Jessica Davis of Rescue, CA, who is a current member of the women's national team pool and will be completing her collegiate rugby career this coming spring.

With the success of its inaugural season, the 2011-12 campaign attracted more experienced players to AIC, and the team enjoyed competitive success in Division II Rugby Northeast, leading to an appearance in a USA Rugby playoffs.

In January 2012, both the men's and women's rugby programs were moved under the administrative umbrella of the athletic department. This move provided the teams a big step forward, giving them access to more athletic support resources.  In the summer, the College hired its first full time women's rugby coach—Melanie Denham, a member of the USA women's national rugby team.

In Denham's first season (2012-13), the team went undefeated in the New England Rugby Football Union's second collegiate women's division and made a strong showing in a USA Rugby playoff game.

In the fall of 2013, Denham brought in a strong recruiting class as the team entered its first season in the Division I New England Women's Collegiate Rugby Conference. The move exposed the program to better competition on a regular basis, leading to a strong playoff run (victories over Indiana and North Carolina) in the spring.

The team completed its first campaign in USA Rugby Collegiate Division I by finishing third in the nation, losing to Stanford University, 29-15, in the National Semifinals before topping West Chester University in the bronze match, 37-31.

The move to varsity will help recruiting immensely and will lead to continued success for American International College.