The Oberlin women’s rugby team, the Rhino Ruggers, spent the first Saturday of fall break triumphing over Ohio Wesleyan in their highest scoring game of the season, with a final score of 53-10. This victory clinched a playoff berth for the Rhinos for the third consecutive year.

Though only a small crowd was around to watch the home game, the Rhinos gave the fans a show worth sticking around for.  The first half saw outstanding drives by the entire squad and led to tries from senior line captain Jen “Buster” Sargrad and senior Jess Ingram-Bee. The team played cohesively and cleanly, despite being significantly outweighed. The scrum held their own, thanks to an experienced unit consisting of senior hooker Marne Litfin, junior prop “Shades” O’Brien, sophomore prop Hannah McCorkel and senior locks Liz Hamilton and Sarah “Homefries” Humphreys.

Litfin was one of two senior ruggers who scored their first tries ever at the game. Litfin received a pass out of a ruck ten yards from OWU’s try line and sprinted past defenders, touching the ball down near the uprights. Hamilton followed suit with a try several minutes later.

The Rhinos’ overall nine tries and four conversions came one after another in the second half: junior hotshot Leigh Wilson made it into the try zone three times in the second half, and senior Diana Frame scored twice, eliciting cheers from the fans as she sprinted past defenders, making OWU’s fastest runners look slow. Sophomore Becca Williams earned four conversion kicks for the Rhinos, adding eight points to the score.

Rookie junior Colleen Fullin played in her first game at 8-man, fearlessly tackling enormous opponents. “I tackled someone three times my size and thought it would kill me!” said Fullin. Other standout rookie performances included first-years Maggie Cawley, Sara Boxell and Robyn Leslie, who had an excellent game at wing that included several long sprints upfield. The Rhinos currently field a roster of forty-five and have more than twenty rookies on the team this year. These numbers are especially impressive because as few as five years ago the team did not even have enough players to field a full side and had to “borrow” from other teams. All the rookies are shaping up to be excellent players, impressing teammates both at practice and on the pitch at games.

Looking ahead, the Rhinos will be traveling to Kenyon this weekend for a “fun” game that will not count with the Ohio Rugby Union. On Nov. 4, the Rhinos will be facing off against Wittenberg in an away game for the Division III semifinals. This will be the third year in a row that Oberlin will play Wittenberg in the semifinals. Though Wittenberg has narrowly beaten the Rhinos in the past, with more players and more talent than ever, the Rhinos remain hopeful for a victory.