Babson Beavers - 2018 Prom Dress 7's CHAMPIONS

Sunday, April 29th

To conclude Babson's spring season, they traveled to Cambridge to participate in the annual MIT Prom Dress 7's tournament.  With only 7 players available, it was set to be a long day but spirits were high and the dresses ridiculously awesome.

​Game 1 pitted Babson against cross town opponent Wellesley College, with whom they had just participated in a joint practice session earlier in the week.  Each club only arrived with 7 players, and with skill levels equal, the match was set to be a close one.  The game was hard fought, with both sides having long sustained drives which failed to result in points.  In the end, Babson prevailed on a last second breakaway, and the game concluded Babson 15 - Wellesley 10.

In Game 2, Babson faced a familiar WPI club which had bested them last spring at Babson's home tournament.  This time around, Babson got a small measure of revenge, beating Worcester 20-5 behind some strong tackling and great intensity around the breakdown.  WPI turnovers resulted in Babson breakaways, and by the second half the game was never in question.

Game 3 was against Brandeis & Friends, a mixed squad which saw MIT and other players graciously volunteer to fill out Brandeis' side.  Babson's continuity was the highlight here, as they were able to consistently offload the ball in contact and find open space out wide.  The final score was Babson 35, Brandies 10.

Game 4 was a high scoring affair against MIT, with both clubs' speed and skill on display.  The first half saw the two clubs trading tries thanks to hard runs and slipped tackles, and it was a 5-point game at halftime.  In the second half Babson was able to take advantage of a few lucky breaks and improve their defense, and came out victorious, 35-20.

In the final game of pool play, Babson faced off against an injury-ravaged Mount Holyoke squad.  It was in this game that Babson's fitness was clearly on display, with multiple long line breaks resulting in try after try.  The highlight of the match was a beautiful offload from Babson's forwards captain to their backs captain, followed by a perfect chip and chase resulting in a 50-meter try (video below).  The final score was 45-5, and placed Babson as the #1 seed after finishing 5-0 in pool play.

After a short break, Babson faced off against Wellesley College (and Friends) in the championship match.  Injuries had left Wellesley with only 4 healthy players, but once again MIT was gracious enough to loan them some extras so they could compete against Babson.  The first half was extremely close and hard fought, with much of the period tied at 0-0 or 5-5.  As time expired in the first, Babson successfully linked a few strong offloads and break away down the sideline for a try, ending the period 10-5.  In the second half, Babson's drive and determination couldn't be stopped.  Multiple long breakaways and hard tackling allowed them to increase their lead to 20-10, and as time expired they scored another try for good measure, taking the Championship 25-10.

Over three 7's tournaments in April, Babson compiled a 12-2-1 record (all non-wins came at the hands of D2 powerhouse, Bentley) and finished 3rd, 2nd, and 1st overall, improving in each subsequent competition.  Following a highly successful Fall season, things are looking up for Babson Women's Rugby!

With the spring season concluding, Babson WRFC would like to thank their graduating seniors for all they've done for the club over the years.  We couldn't be where we are today without you!  Morgan Kuehnle, Brittany Myrick, Jasmine Bailey, and Yarely Vargas - Thank you all!