Apr 2- Arizona traveled to Claremont this past weekend for their regular season finale against the Foxes and a playoff berth in sight.

 

The Wildcats would come out in full force on defense, putting pressure on Claremont that resulted in a try by Melody Chu to tie the game. The latest score from Molly Chisholm would make it 12-7 before a Claremont score just before the half would tie the game at 12.

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In the second half, the Wildcats maintained momentum on attack with linebreaks from Chisholm as well as Flyhalf Brityn Ward. A series of offloads between the two would put Chisholm over the line for her second score. Claremont would respond however, with the Foxes taking advantage of gaps in the Arizona defense to slowly pull away, culminating in 39-17 loss. Despite the loss, morale would quickly turn around as the Wildcats would clinch a berth in the first round of national championships as the 4th seed from the Pacific Desert Conference, the first postseason appearance under Head Coach Tatum Quimby.

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"It wasn't the outcome we wanted on Saturday, but each year we are steadily improving in our efforts against tough teams like Claremont. Qualifying for playoffs is such a rewarding experience after all of the work that this team has put in. We've spent the last few years making small steps forward as we work to establish ourselves as a competitive force in the conference. That was largely driven by our extraordinary student leadership, both on and off the field. I want to shout out all of our officers that put in the work behind the scenes to ensure that the club functions, and then of course all of the amazing athletes that I've had the pleasure of working with this year" said Quimby. The loss drops the team to 4-3 on the year but also clinches a winning record for the first time in several seasons. 

 

"I am so happy for all of these athletes, coaches, and alumni in our Women's program that are getting behind what Coach Quimby is building. She is doing a tremendous job and as a former Wildcat, this means more to her as she knows what these young women are going through. Culture starts from the top and then gets spread through the squad, and she has also done a great job of empowering these athletes on and off the field. We can't wait until Friday to see what they can do on a national stage and continue that growth" said Director of Rugby Sean Duffy.

 

Arizona will take on Stanford (Pacific Mountain Conference #1 seed) this Friday at 11 AM PST at Arizona State University's Dorsey Athletic Fields. A win advances them to the next round on Sunday April 6 against the winner of Arizona State and Western Washington. Two wins would punch their ticket to the D1 Women's National Championship on April 19th at Stanford University.

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Scoring vs Claremont

Tries: Chisholm (2), Chu

Conversions: Chisholm- 1/2, Boucher, 0/1

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Arizona vs Claremont

​​1- Miranda Pieper

2- Lena Boucher

3- Alyssa Kane

4- Pele Kruse

5- Grace Uso

6- Landry Moore

7- Adrienne Emma (C)

8- Callie Andrews

9- Megan Garland

10- Brityn Ward

11- Melody Chu

12- Molly Chisholm

13- Kira Gomez

14- Eddie Feiner

15- Lila Ortega

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16- Aspen Wresinske

17- Gigi Avila

18- Bailey Castaneda

19- Maddie Myers

20- Gabby Sheffield

21- Kenna Whisenant

22- Emma Cook

23- Nicole Vann

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