Big Green Repeat as Division I NIRA Champions

Saturday, November 19

Hanover, N.H.

4:30 PM

Dartmouth College

Harvard

Dartmouth women's rugby hoists the NIRA Championship trophy after defeating Harvard

Photo by: Mark Washburn

Big Green Repeat as Division I NIRA Champions

11/19/2022 8:01:00 PM | Women's Rugby

Highlights

Dartmouth hoisted the trophy for the third time in program history after defeating Harvard, 15-10

By: Kyle Relf

HANOVER, N.H. — Nearly a year ago to the day, the Dartmouth women's rugby team was crowned NIRA Division I Champions and on a brisk Saturday evening at Burnham Field, the No. 1 seeded Big Green successfully defended their title with a 15-10 victory over No. 2 Harvard.

Ariana Ramsey was named Most Valuable Player after scoring Dartmouth's only two tries of the defensive battle. The program's first-ever Olympian wraps up her collegiate career with three NIRA titles to her credit.

"All of our hard work has paid off," Ramsey said. "We've put so much time and effort into building our culture and that's what really makes a good team. We've got that down and it shows."

The Big Green were cheered to their third championship in program history by a capacity crowd of approximately 3,000 at Burnham Field. This year's championship tilt was a rematch of 2018's iteration, which saw Dartmouth take down Harvard, 19-14, at Scully-Fahey Field.

"We're grateful that Dartmouth put so much effort into hosting this event, and for our fans who came out to this match and packed the stands," said head coach Katie Dowty. "The energy from our crowd was an incredibly important factor tonight."

The partisan crowd first rose to its feet when the Big Green had the opportunity to kick for points with 15 minutes gone in the opening half. Kristin Bitter sailed one through the uprights from 22 meters out to put the defending champions on top, 3-0.

Harvard answered that score and claimed a 5-3 advantage with Charlotte Gilmour's try at the 21:13 mark of the first half.

Ramsey electrified with the go-ahead score minutes later, receiving an offload from Sophia Haley before juking one defender and fending off another en route to her 10th try of the season. Dartmouth held a 10-5 lead following Bitter's conversion.

RAMSEY ⚡️ Big Green back on top!https://t.co/DJGgvFH2mH | @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/gs0ob84QmH
— Dartmouth Rugby (@DartmouthWRugby) November 19, 2022

In the final minutes of the half, Ramsey broke through once again. The Big Green used smooth passing from Simone Bautista, Sophie Ragg and Anjali Pant before the MVP had the ball in her hands and darted to the right corner of the try zone with a Crimson defender in hot pursuit.

Ramsey x2 😎 LET'S GO BIG GREEN!https://t.co/DJGgvFH2mH | @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/MU4N4SJ01D
— Dartmouth Rugby (@DartmouthWRugby) November 19, 2022

Leading 15-5 at halftime, Dartmouth had all the scoring it would need thanks to a strong defensive effort that held Harvard to season-low scoring.

The Crimson were able to score once in the second half, the only points for either team, with just over 10 minutes remaining when Cameron Fields got loose on the outside. The conversion was missed and Dartmouth clung to a 15-10 lead. Harvard threatened again with less than 10 minutes remaining, driving the ball within the 22-meter line, but Dartmouth was the beneficiary of an important scrum.

The Big Green looked to have picked up insurance points when Seven Sassano dove across the try line in the final few minutes, but the score was waved off. It wouldn't matter in the final outcome, though, as full time sounded and elation ensued for the two-time defending champions in Hanover.

The Big Green finished the season with a perfect 9-0 record, extending their 18-match win streak that dates back to last season.