Eight From Women’s Rugby Earn All-NIRA Recognition

HANOVER, N.H. — Following a second consecutive undefeated championship 15s season, the Dartmouth women's rugby team landed a program-best eight players on the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association's (NIRA) First XV.

Each recognized as the league's top talent at their position, Lauren Ferridge, Asialeata Meni, Jordan Duncan, Sophia Haley, Nyah Cordero, Kristin Bitter, Sophie Ragg and Ariana Ramsey were the Big Green's honorees following a 9-0 campaign that saw Dartmouth outscore opponents by an average of more than 39 points per match.

Ferridge, a loosehead prop (No. 1), notched a career-high six tries for Dartmouth in the perfect campaign, including two in the season opener at Sacred Heart and one during a thrilling comeback on the road against then-unbeaten Harvard. 2022 marks the second straight season in which the senior has been named to the First XV.

Meni earned her first career All-NIRA designation as a hooker (No. 2) after finishing the season with four tries, including two against Mount St. Mary's and one against Brown in the regular season finale, which clinched Dartmouth's third-straight Ivy Championship.

Duncan, one of only two freshmen on the First XV, earned the designation as a lock. She scored her first career try in her collegiate debut at Sacred Heart and scored again weeks later in a 79-0 rout at Mount St. Mary's. Duncan racked up 17 tackles in the Big Green's comeback road win over Harvard.

Haley, named to the First XV as a blindside flanker (No. 6) after earning an honorable mention last season, was one of the key contributors to a vaunted Big Green defense that allowed just 10.1 points per game and pitched a pair of shutouts. She logged 17 tackles in the home opener against Quinnipiac and found the try zone in a 41-10 victory. Haley is a three-time Dartmouth Defensive Player of the Year.

Cordero, an openside flanker (No. 7) on the First XV, scored two tries as a junior en route to her first All-NIRA honor. Cordero's 50-meter try was one of the highlights of Dartmouth's win over Quinnipiac, a game in which she also forced four turnovers.

Bitter handled kicking duties for much of the season and earned First XV recognition as a flyhalf (No. 10). She led the team with 99 points via six tries, 33 conversions and one penalty kick and memorably connected on the game-winning conversion to defeat Harvard in the regular season. Bitter later tallied nine conversions in the regular season finale against Brown. The senior scored two tries the previous week at Mount St. Mary's. She was an honorable mention on last season's All-NIRA list.

Ragg, an outside center (No. 13), finished the season with four tries as an all-around talent for the Big Green. The fifth-year senior racked up 13 tackles and found the try zone in Dartmouth's dominant semifinal win over Quinnipiac.

Ramsey, the Most Valuable Player of the 2022 Division I NIRA Final, posted a team-high 11 tries, including two in the championship, in just five matches after returning from injury to earn First XV recognition as a wing (No. 14). The Olympian, like Haley and Ragg, finished her 15s career with three divisional championships to her credit. Ramsey was previously named to the 2019 All-NIRA Team as a sophomore after scoring a team-best 10 tries.

The Big Green received five First XV honorees and two honorable mentions last season following the first of back-to-back divisional titles.

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