11-02-2025
City of Springfield celebrates AIC women's rugby team second championship title win
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The American International College (AIC) women's rugby team is receiving recognition in Springfield for their impressive achievement of winning their second championship title last November.
The players and coaches are thrilled to be recognized for their victory, as it's been four years since they last won the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association Division Two Championship.
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'We worked hard to get to where we were. So I'm just really, really proud of the girls that we got. We got to take home the double,' said team co-captain Ivana Kiripati.
'It was, you know, a nail-biter the whole game. It came to the last minute and we had to fight as a team to get there. So and we did,' said team co-captain Annekkia Ritter-Truxal.
The players' hard work and dedication paid off as they overcame a 10-0 defeat to win the championship game with a final score of 20-15. The Yellow Jackets triumphed over Davenport University, four years after their first title win against West Chester University in 2021 with a score of 29-17.
Head coach T Fletcher told tells 22News she couldn't be more proud of her team.
'It was awesome. It was really bittersweet,' Fletcher said. 'The first thing that comes to mind is our senior class. For them to be able to come in as freshmen and have a lot of them on the field, on the roster starting, and then to end their time in AIC with another ring is extremely victorious.'
The team gathered in Springfield City Hall to be recognized for their win. Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno read a proclamation, declaring the day as AIC Women's Rugby Day.
'Rugby is a tough sport, but your camaraderie, your teamwork, fortitude, and perseverance have led you to a national championship and you should be very, very proud,' Mayor Sarno said.
'It's awesome to get recognized and to show, you know, there's a lot of people around this area that play rugby and we want to show that you can be successful at the highest level,' said assistant coach Denver Divens.
The Yellow Jackets completed the overall season last year at 7 and 2 with a perfect 6 and 0 record in both their regular and post-seasons.
The team will be competing next at the annual Frostbite 7's Rugby Tournament in Pennsylvania in two weeks.
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