CMU Women's Rugby gets to join Beach Volleyball and Cycling in the elite ranks of Colorado Mesa University team National Champions!
 
Coming off of a heartbreaking loss in the 2022 Championship final matchup, the Mavs were prepared to work hard for the 2023 title. In this extremely hot and humid, then downpour, wet and muddy championship weekend, that is exactly what the team had to do.
 
Starting off the weekend pool play with another look at the 2022 tough east coast competition Fairfield University, the ladies came out firing on all cylinders. Aided by speed and guided by leadership, freshmen Ellen Rickerd touched down first with a massive run on the outside, giving CMU the early lead. This big run was then supplemented by two more trys before half as co-captain Ryleigh Blatnik found the right gaps and capitalized on Fairfield turnovers. Massive tackles, aggressiveness at the breakdowns, and poaching gave the Mavs more opportunities to score. Blatnik wasn't done as in this full team effort, she was able to get open two more times. Scoring an impressive 4 times with a conversion in this matchup. Starters and finishers all got minutes in matchup one which led to CMU winning 27-0 in this high scoring thriller.
 
For the first time in program history, CMU faced off against Yale next. Blatnik took charge of this matchup as well as she touched down for the first try of the match less than a minute into this game off of some nice ball movement by the Mavs. After adding on a conversion, she went for another run. Mavs were up 12-0 before Yale capitalized on a hole in the middle of the field, to give them points heading into halftime. After some solid defensive play, it took CMU almost 4 minutes into the second half for Blatnik to find a gap and conversion. Yale was not done yet as they broke the line 5.5 minutes in making this matchup 19-10. With a solid defensive effort a chase down by Zelly Moore and a holding on penalty caused by Aspen Packard, the lady mavs were able to hold off Yale at the end of this one, winning 19-10.
 
Match three was the first look at San Jose State. This time co-captain Emily Canvasser started off the scoring just :30 seconds into the matchup as she threw a juke and then turned on the afterburners to give CMU the early lead. Blatnik tacked on the conversion, and this 7-0 lead would be the only lead the Mavs saw in their last match of pool play. Despite a solid defensive effort, lack of ball discipline and silly turnovers led to set plays for San Jose which they were prepared for. San Jose tied the match up at the 3-minute mark and that brought the Mavs into halftime tied at 7. With a tactical substitution at the end of the match, the lady Mavs stole the San Jose lineout, but lost the ball on the offensive. San Jose attacked the defensive gap in the middle and showed some speed of their own as they finished out the play and scored under the posts with less than a minute left in the match. After some confusion on the restart, San Jose ended this match victorious, putting CMU at #2 for pool play on the day.
 
Coming out #2 in pool play, meant CMU would square off against a very competitive looking cross pool #1 Cal Poly. Again, this was the first time in program history CMU would face Cal Poly. CMU decided to start their speedsters in this defensive showdown after recognizing where they created holes for San Jose the previous day. With the decision to potentially score less, but be better equipped to stop the attack, this was a super low scoring defensive matchup. With an unfortunate kickoff that bounced out of bounds, Cal Poly won back the CMU line out and had quick ball movement to score a quick 5 early on the outside. Literally one minute later Blatnik took off and touched down under the posts. Her two-point conversion would be the difference in this matchup as the rest of the game was a defensive standoff with impressive tackles, ball security, and solid defensive stands by both teams. CMU edged Cal Poly 7-5 to send themselves back to the Championship Matchup.
 
In the other semifinal San Jose too was able to edge Columbia 5-0 so the Championship matchup would be a revenge match for CMU. The Lady Mavs were prepared for this matchup as they used the loss in pool play to regroup and analyze the things they could have done better. San Jose had quality set plays, so CMU needed to minimize the number of opportunities San Jose would be able to use them. Though that was the game plan, plans do not always go as scheduled. With just :30 seconds left after a grueling first half defensive stand, CMU had some nice ball movement and Sarah Penick was able to show her lightning speed as she hit a gap and took off on a massive breakthrough run. Add on a Blatnik conversion and CMU was able to go into half with a 7-0 lead.  San Jose came out of half regrouped and on the offensive. An unfortunate dangerous tackle call was made against CMU, making this second half a challenge as the Mavs had to finish out the last 6 minutes man down with only 6 ladies on the pitch. San Jose capitalized quick and scored 1:20 in. After making the conversion they tied this one up at 7s.
 
Then the heroics began. Despite the massive defensive stand, the lady mavs were getting gased . Working as a unit, San Jose was able to punch through at the 5-minute marker to score, what would look to be the go-ahead game winner. CMU was not done yet, however. With some tactical substitutions made, a strong finishing CMU squad gave the ladies fresh legs and fast legs for the final few minutes. This boost in energy created a second wind in the squad. Another big CMU breakthrough with quality support and offloads led to a CMU try by rookie Teja Smith with just :30 seconds left in the match. A Blatnik conversion tied this one back up at 14 all as regulation time was expiring. 
 
In rugby a match does not end until a dead ball play is made. CMU knew that and as time was expiring worked to keep the ball alive. Liz Thoma, Zelly Moore and Aspen Packard did everything they could to maintain possession as they worked it back and forth across the pitch. CMU worked as a full team to move the ball one direction while patiently Teja Smith and Ryleigh Blatnik held their ground on the near side of the pitch. As Smith drew in two defenders, that opened Blatnik up out wide for the go ahead try. Knowing time had expired, all Blatnik needed to do was attempt a kick. A full team effort was put into this matchup as the entire team put everything they had into the final 14 minutes. Playing as a full unit, feral on defense, aggressive and unpredictable on offense overcoming all roadblocks, they won as a team making CMU Rugby History.
 
Even though the team has a history of high-quality conference rugby, conference and division titles, playoff berths, and National tournament appearances, this was the first time the team was able to seal the deal and earn the National Championship title. The win is the first for the program, as the 7s team ended their 2022 inaugural season runner ups. They wrapped up season #2 with another 18-2 record, dropping just a single match the entire tournament for a 4-1 record on the weekend. The CMU Rugby team was established in 2009, but is only in their second season of the 7s emphasis.
 
National Tournament Recap:
Trys:
Ryleigh Blatnik 9
Emily Canvasser
Sarah Penick
Ellen Rickerd
Teja Smith
 
Conversions:
Ryleigh Blatnik 7
 
2023 Spring 7s Full Squad
Maddie Bishop
Sarah Bade
Ryleigh Blatnik
Maddie Bradley
Emily Canvasser
Amerie Chavez
Salina Edwards
Emily France
Sarah Hart
Sydney Hews
Courtney Hull
Zelly Moore
Saray Penick
Aspen Packard
Ellen Rickerd
Nallely Robles-Velazquez
Carly Scheck
Archer Schmalz
Teja Smith
Becca Smiler
Anna Toney
Liz Thoma
Barrett Wagenseil
 
Head Coach - Mack Lewis
Assistant Coach - Jen Morrison