On the one hand, you’ve got University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, a long-standing team, undefeated in league play, and on the other hand an almost brand-new rugby team that lost three league games and just recently seemed to find itself.
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Welcome to the Men’s College Division 2 semifinals, where everyone is different.
Warhawk Winning Culture
Wisconsin-Whitewater has been chugging along, foiled in new players those who are experienced at winning championships. The pipeline just keeps producing, and often through family connections. The Grams brothers have provided plenty of continuity, and now it’s the Treuthardt brothers, with young Cameron playing alongside his older brother, Alec.
The younger Treuthardt, like Alec, hadn’t played rugby in high school but has embraced the game nicely. His performance on the wing, along with all-purpose forward Ty Lovings and prop Dom Swanson have answered any lingering questions about whether the Warhawks can reload.
Reload they have, and in convincing fashion. In league and playoff games, Whitewater is 10-0 with three forfeit wins, an average score in the other seven of 64-11. Only on team (UW-Platteville in the season-opener) held Whitewater to less than 50 (they scored 45).
The skeptical, then, might say Whitewater has had it easy, and won’t know what to do when things get tough. Coach Matt Pederson understands that and points to his team’s 48-5 loss to D1AA team Lindenwood-Belleville. In that game, his players saw what would. Be needed come championship time.
“When we hosted Lindenwood-Belleville we saw more speed and aggressiveness at the breakdowns,” said Pederson. “We were able to have some quality film time and practice that following week bringing our game up to the next level heading into playoffs.”
Queens Searches For Identity
Learning and growing has been the story all along for Queens University Charlotte. Head coach Frank McKinney says that 22 months ago his program was him, a desk, and a phone. Now he has a squad mostly of freshmen and sophomores looking to win a national title.
Along the way, it’s been difficult. Queens lost four games, a non-league matchup with Clemson and league losses to NC State, VMI, and Virginia.
Encouraged to read the book Legacy about the team culture of the All Blacks, McKinney realized that his team culture was all wrong.
“We had freshmen picking up gear and cleaning up and team leaders telling them to do it, and that wasn’t right,” said McKinney. “So we got off the field for a week. We went bowling. We did some team stuff and talked about everyone being equal. Everyone pics up our gear, everyone contributes.”
The first training after that break wasn’t the best, and McKinney huddled with his players to talk about being switched on when they need to be, and from there the professionalism grew. He moved captain Lebo Ngwenya from center to flyhalf, and Ngwenya’s field vision and leadership have blossomed since.
Center Jordan Memea has been a revelation in the midfield in the second half of the season, and Decor Davis moved from flanker to No. 8 because of an injury and has been a huge contributor. But more than the individual players, it’s been about not taking anything for granted.
“We are a varsity program,” said McKinney. “We have a paid coach, athletic trainer, access to the main gym and the weight room and the main fields, but we are also really young and the program is young, We have had to battle and look at ourselves to improve.”
Unlike Whitewater, then, Queens has not had too many blowout wins.
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An early 53-19 passing a the hands of NC State was humbling, but it’s worth also noting that on October 20, Queens lost to VMI 49-24, and in the Cardinals Conference playoffs two weeks later Queens won 38-34. The last six games the team has played have been decided by a try or less, and that, said McKinney, has helped his players mature.
We’ve had hard games all the way through, and that’s been hard on us - we’ve had some injuries - but we’ve learned so much from it,” said McKinney.
A dominant, perennial winner against a new program that has had to battle for everything. This is an ideal semifinal matchup.