HANOVER — Prior to this season, Lilly Durbin hadn’t played in a 15s rugby game for Dartmouth since 2017.
Durbin led the Big Green with 15 tries in her 2017 freshman season, including two in the 29-20 loss to Quinnipiac in the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association championship match. But medical problems kept her out the following year, when Dartmouth won its first national title, as well as in 2019. With no season in 2020 due to the pandemic, Durbin returned this fall for another shot at glory.
Now, the fifth-year center and the Big Green are one win away from the trophy. Durbin leads the team in tries with 10, and Dartmouth is 8-0 entering Saturday’s NIRA final at Army West Point.
“I think about (the 2017 final) a lot,” Durbin said. “There’s definitely some redemption for me personally, finally being able to play in a national championship game. It’s super-motivating to have another shot at it.”
Durbin watched from the sidelines as the Big Green avenged a title game loss with a 2018 championship, but another young center helped fill the void.
Emily Henrich led Dartmouth with 11 tries in her freshman campaign, the last one helping to seal a 19-14 victory over Harvard to win the crown on home turf.
But Henrich, too, battled injuries and missed the 2019 season, when Dartmouth went just 3-3 and lost to the Crimson in the NIRA semifinals. Like Durbin, she’s come back with a vengeance this year, with eight tries and a team-leading 13 assists so far as a senior.
“The team has changed a lot, and my role on the team has changed a lot as well,” Henrich said. “There’s really good memories of three years ago, but the program has only grown since then. Our work isn’t done yet.”
The Big Green have cruised this season even without senior Ariana Ramsey, who represented Team USA in sevens rugby at the Tokyo Olympics. Ramsey was assisted off the field following an injury in a match against China, which left her sidelined for the fall college season.
Dartmouth has won every game by multiple scores except for a victory at Army on Sept. 19, in which the Big Green scored the first 29 points before the Black Knights came roaring back. Dartmouth held on for a 34-28 win, led by two tries apiece from Durbin and Henrich.
As the Big Green prepares to rematch the Black Knights with everything at stake, coach Katie Dowty said her team learned not to get complacent with a big lead in the first meeting.
Most of the other scorelines are rather unsightly for the opposition — 92-5 over Long Island, 63-10 over Sacred Heart, 70-0 over Mount St. Mary’s, 56-5 over Brown in the NIRA semifinals last weekend.
“We did a lot of work during COVID to increase our skill level for the players who were able to be on campus,” Dowty said. “We’re able to play a much wider and more dynamic game this year. It’s a product of all the work we put in last year.”
The Big Green are fighting for more than just a championship this weekend, though — they’re fighting for greater recognition for their sport. Women’s rugby is considered an emerging sport by the NCAA, with just eight Division I schools sponsoring it at the varsity level.
Dartmouth women’s rugby was founded as a club in 1978 and was only elevated to varsity status in 2015, when the NIRA was established. Dowty has led the program since, following an illustrious playing career at Harvard and with the U.S. national team.
Still, Henrich said her team is gaining recognition on campus and that head football coach Buddy Teevens is an ardent supporter.
“Winning would be great. But we also want to go out there and play with style and put on a show that people will enjoy watching,” Dowty said. “Once people see teams like ours play, seeing the physicality and the intensity and the freedom that our players play with is really inspiring. For women to play a full-contact sport like this, it’s such a cool opportunity.
“We hope we’re a good example of that and that other schools might want to add a women’s rugby program to their athletic department.”
Benjamin Rosenberg can be reached at brosenberg@vnews.com or 603-727-3302.