Last season, the Big Green men (5-0-1 Ivy North) advanced to this point before losing to Davenport University in the semifinals.
"We have a lot of guys returning from last year and we all left knowing that the outcome could have been different, especially watching the finals," Michael Burbank '13 said. "That was an opportunity we wish we had back and, fortunately enough, we're back here. Hopefully the guys can seize the opportunity and learn from last year. It's doable."
The team looks to last year for motivation.
"Knowing that we were so close last year to doing something that we've never done before, we've been able to work hard and get back to that same spot," Owen Scannell '13 said. "This year, we'll hopefully capitalize on the opportunity we have."
The teams in the tournament each finished first in their conferences and went undefeated. The Knights won the South Independent Conference with a 6-0 mark, while Lindenwood finished its campaign in the Heart of America conference and Western Washington won the Northwestern Collegiate Rugby Conference with the same 6-0 record.
The Big Green has not played these teams this season and must rely on scouting and film to prepare for their opponents.
"Because rugby is a regional sport, we've never seen UCF play," Burbank said. "We've seen some film and they look big, strong, and fast. We've played tough teams in the past and our match against Navy showed us that we can stick with these teams and we have the tools that are necessary, we just need to play to our strengths: rugby IQ, game management, et cetera."
To get to this point, the Big Green men defeated the University of Pittsburgh 43-34 and St. Bonaventure University 30-22. Dartmouth relied on a second half comeback to top the Bonnies and advance to the semifinals.
"We were upset about our defense, we tackled poorly and aligned poorly," Scannell said. "We're working on trying to tighten the screws and prevent cheap penalties and points. Our offense has been good. We've been able to put up 30-40 points on bigger opponents."
The Knights defeated the University of Tennessee and Clemson University to reach the semifinals in two hard-fought games. The Lions have outscored their opponents, Northern Illinois University and Bowling Green University, a combined 115-24 en route to the semis. Western Washington topped California State University, California State University at Chico and Long Beach State University to set up a date with Lindenwood.
"We're just thinking of one game at a time and concentrating on UCF right now," Madison Hughes '15 said. "There are no bad teams left in the tournament, so we have to bring our best and see how we stack up."
Despite the steep competition and national stage, the Dartmouth men are feeling confident.
"They're very good teams, but we can compete with them," Burbank said. "We're hoping to go to Ohio and come back with a national championship."
Should the Big Green win the tournament, it would be the program's first 15s title. The men will attempt to win the 7s Collegiate Rugby Championship for the third consecutive season on June 1 and 2 in Chester, Pa.
"Obviously, in a tournament that we've dominated as much as 7s, we don't want to give it up and want to continue our streak," Hughes said. "But this is a chance for us to do something we never have in 15s and establish ourselves as the dominant team in 15s, like we have in 7s."
For the seniors, this will be the final tournament donning green and white.
"We've had a fantastic 7s program, but we haven't really made our mark in terms of 15s," Burbank said. "We haven't won the big tournament. This is our chance to prove that we're not just a 7s program. There are a good amount of seniors who put a lot of time into this club and they aren't going to compete in 7s, so this is the pinnacle of the season for them."
