Harvard Women’s Rugby Places Fifth at CRAA National Championships

Harvard women’s rugby team placed fifth at the sevens College Rugby Association of America National Championship last weekend after being knocked out of the quarterfinal round.

Harvard travelled from Cambridge to Indianapolis with a target on its back, entering the tournament as reigning champions.

The team began the competition weekend in Pool A, set to face Princeton and Life on the first day with the hopes of advancing to the quarterfinals on the second.

Harvard 29, Princeton 14

Harvard’s opening game started with consecutive turnovers by both teams, but a quick restart from Princeton caught the Harvard defense off guard as the Tigers secured the first points.

The Crimson were quick to respond — winning a throw-in from the kick-off and connecting the ball across the pitch into the hands of junior outside back Cameron Fields. A stiff arm from Fields kept the closest Princeton defender at bay and allowed her to stride to the try-zone. This pulled Harvard level 7-7.

The Crimson began to separate itself from the Tigers with another scoring play that featured freshman back Dana Greer slipping into the try zone.

Harvard continued its momentum into halftime with sophomore scrum-half Ava Ference breaking through the Princeton line to pull the Crimson up 17-7 before the break.

The Crimson did not let up in the second half. Instead, it was a momentous half for Greer, with her scoring a further two tries to secure her first career hat-trick.

After the game, Greer spoke about her surprise at the accomplishment.

“I honestly didn’t realize until after the game when one of my teammates told me that I got a hat-trick,” she said. “I am so honored to have the opportunity to even play to begin with, and to have such an accomplishment during nationals was an amazing experience.”

The Tigers managed to get one more try before the final whistle, but it did not make a dent in the deficit Harvard had left them and the game ended 29-14 to the Crimson.

Harvard 14, Life 26

Harvard hoped to continue its momentum from game one as it faced Life University — an opponent it had not encountered this sevens season.

It was the Running Eagles, however, who lived up to their name and got off to a flying start with three consecutive tries early in the game.

“I think the Life game was more challenging because we were playing a new and better team than we had initially anticipated,” said Greer.

Just before the break, a Life kickoff went long, and the ball found the hands of senior lock Jara Emtage-Cave. She drew in pressure and passed to Lennox London, who ran the length of the field to keep the Crimson in the game 17-7 going into halftime.

In the second half, the Crimson improved further, increasing its defensive intensity and discipline. The match became a game of turnovers, but it was the Running Eagles who broke the deadlock with just a few minutes to go, drawing further ahead from Harvard, 26-7.

In a late push, the Crimson pulled back some points with an Emtage-Cave try and an efficient conversion from Ference, but it was too little, too late for Harvard. The score at the final whistle was 26-14.

“I think that as play went on, we were able to work as a team to get back in the game, and we were able to lean on each other so as not to give up and keep fighting till the end,” said Greer.

This loss meant the Crimson ended the day as the No.4 seed heading into the quarterfinals on day two, against No.5 Army.

Harvard 10, Army 12

Harvard entered day two hoping for a fresh start, but its battle against Army began in a similar fashion to the matches the day prior — with Harvard conceding early.

“I think they came out swinging, which I mean it’s a national championship game, teams are supposed to do that,” said Emtage-Cave of the opposition.

The Black Knights doubled their lead early and made the game 12-0. This scoreline did not last long, though, with a stellar try from London, who sprinted the wing and fended off an Army defender not once but twice. The Crimson was within one try and conversion going into the break, 12-5.

“I think there was a mental shift after they kind of scored on us first, of being like, ‘No I’m not gonna have a repeat of the last time you played them, like we need to get points on the board and I know we can,’” said Emtage-Cave.

In the second half, Harvard came out with a strong defensive performance, nullifying any attempts from the Black Knights.

The Crimson demonstrated its patience and technical ability, switching the point of attack as the clock ran down. The team capitalised on this impressive possession play with junior outside back Victoria Stanley carrying the ball over the line.

Although this narrowed the gap to the Army within touching distance, Harvard was unable to regain possession before the final whistle, and the match ended 12-10.

This loss knocked the Crimson out of the cup competition and left the team to face Princeton again, this time in the plate semifinal.

Harvard 29, Princeton 21

In the fourth game of the tournament, Harvard finally got the start it had been searching for all competition. Ference opened up the scoring early, putting seven points on the board with the try and conversion.

A succession of tries followed, including one from senior scrum-half Reece Morgan, who ripped the ball from the grip of a Princeton player and carried it across the try line.

The offensive flood continued from the Crimson with London adding to her tally for the tournament with another try.

Despite a response from the Tigers, Harvard maintained its lead with a statement try from senior hooker Carly Lehman, who powered away from Princeton players, running the length of the pitch and leaving them in her wake.

London closed out the win with her second try of the game. This secured the 29-21 victory over the Tigers and put Harvard into the fifth-place final against Lindenwood.

Harvard 31, Lindenwood 5

Harvard finished out the day in electrifying form, capitalising on its momentum against Princeton in the matchup against Lindenwood.

Emtage-Cave slipped through the grasp of multiple Lions and got the Crimson’s first try of the game to put the team ahead 7-0. And Stanley doubled Harvard’s score after a signature burst of speed led her to score.

Lindenwood only mustered a single try against a compacted defensive line and a continuous Harvard attack.

The Crimson attack continued where it left off in the second half, with London finding a way to spin out of the grip of a Lions defender and break away for her fourth try of the day.

Stanley wrapped up the game with a final try to stamp out any Lindenwood hopes and cement an impressive scoreline.

London, reflecting on the season, expressed pride in her team despite the mixed weekend.

“I’m genuinely so proud of how we played this weekend,” she said. “We’ve had so many unfortunate unlucky things happen to our team this season in terms of injuries, motivation, etc. yet we’ve always said that our goal was to peak at the end of the season and I think we did that”

“I couldn’t be happier with the grit, determination, and pride we displayed,” she added.

Despite several rocky moments throughout the two-day tournament, Harvard ended its weekend with dominance in its final game as it closed out its 2025 season.

– Staff Writer Rhiannon Stewart can be reached at rhiannon.stewart@thecrimson.com.