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PROVO — For three years, Tom Waqa's club had to wait for a chance to defend their title.
Two years ago, the top-ranked BYU women's rugby team rolled to the 2019 CRAA Division I spring championship in a world that seems far different from the one they live in now.
The College Rugby Association of America, which runs collegiate rugby in partnership with USA Rugby, canceled the 2020 championships as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. A year later, the Cougars still weren't able to compete due to virus restrictions.
Finally given their chance to compete, BYU made short work of the competition — including in Saturday's final, when the Cougars rolled to an 80-7 win over Virginia Tech in the Division I spring championship match at AVEVA Stadium in Houston.
"They played for each other. There were seven seniors paying for the last time. They wanted to go out, and leave it all on the field today," BYU coach Tom Waqa told KSL.com. "It's been a long season, since the fall and trying to get a season together. It's exhausting. But you can tell they wanted to keep going.
"Nobody quit, and I'm really proud of them for sticking to the end, playing for each other, and finishing the job in style."
CRAA Women's D1 Spring Champions 🏆
— USA Rugby (@USARugby) April 30, 2022
Congrats, @BYUWomensRugby 👏 pic.twitter.com/RAzJSUbqj3
Freshman Kambria Hartrick scored two tries to pace a 49-0 first-half start for BYU, whose lead swelled as high as 68-0 lead en route to the program's 20th national title and second since dropping down from DI Elite after the 2018 season.
If the Cougars were nervous before the match, they weren't any more.
"Kambria carried the ball and broke a lot of tackles on the way to the line," Waqa said of his freshman prop who was named championship game MVP. "Before the game, she was a little nervous; this was the first title for many of these women. They had to settle some nerves. But after the first 10 minutes, they went to work.
"I think Kambria's try was the moment. When she scored underneath the post, that was special. That just spelled out the season for us."
Virginia Tech's Kathryn Santus pulled down a turnover and split the uprights to put the Hokies on the board, 68-7 midway through the second half. But fly half Matalasi Morisette scored off a penalty restart in the 70th minute to help the Cougars a 73-7 lead to cruise to the finish.
The Cougars cruised through the Division I tournament, the second tier of women's college rugby beneath D1 Elite, beating Washington 80-3 in the quarterfinals before a 67-3 rout of Grand Canyon in the semifinals.
Final Score: BYU 80 Virginia Tech 7. @byuwomensrugby Cougars are your Spring W College D1 Champions!#believeandendure@byuxmsports@collegerugbyuspic.twitter.com/a5nMVmU80B
— BYU Women's Rugby (@BYUWomensRugby) April 30, 2022
Lindenwood won its fourth-straight title in the D1 Elite final in the weekend of rugby in Houston, and Claremont College took home the Division II spring title. Army beat Saint Mary's 20-8 in the D1A men's final later Saturday.
With the win, BYU finished 11-0 in the spring season, and hasn't lost since back-to-back losses to Lindenwood and Life University in October.
"There's a lot of turnover with this program at BYU," Waqa said. "But you build, and on game day, you trust that the girls will do their best. That's what they did today."
