If you don’t know about women’s rugby in Iowa, don’t worry – you aren’t alone.

The sport isn’t popular among high schools across the Midwest. Minnesota, and the Twin Cities area specifically, is the only place around where there is a large women’s rugby population.

That can be a problem for the ISU women’s rugby club.

“Most of our players have never played rugby before,” said Lindsay Schmidt, team president for the club. “We do a lot of teaching about the game.”

That teaching has paid off. Last spring, after qualifying at an eight-team tournament in Florida, the team earned a spot in the Division 2 national championship.

Playing in their opponent’s home state, the women were able to edge out University of Califorina-Santa Cruz in a 26-19 win.

This fall, the team ended up in Division 1, which isn’t necessarily a good thing.

“Moving up wasn’t actually our choice,” said senior Amanda Rolling. “In your pool play you have two games in the fall. If you win both you are D1, if you lose one you are D2.

“We usually lose to University of Northern Iowa [in pool play] and are D2, but this year we didn’t play them.”

So after winning both of their games, the team ended up in an eight-team tournament. This time UNI was waiting.

After a close match against the arch-rival, the women fell by just one try. In the second game, still dealing with the pain from the loss to UNI, the team struggled and lost to Purdue, sending them back to Ames empty handed.

The loss wasn’t as disappointing as it could have been. After graduating some key players from last year and with a few women studying abroad this year, the team wasn’t expecting to see a repeat of last year’s results. Playing in the Division 1 tournament didn’t help.

With no national championship games this spring, the team can focus on development and recruiting.

This spring the team will travel around the region, playing in tournaments that are more about the experience than the outcome. The first will be in Nebraska on March 29, along with trips to the University of Wisconsin-Platville, the University of Minnesota and Iowa Falls for an all-Iowa tournament are all on the schedule. The all-Iowa tournament will feature collegiate teams, as well as women’s teams from higher levels of competition.

“We are trying to recruit and get new girls onto the team,” Schmidt said. “It is kind of a rebuilding season since we are missing some girls.”

But with so few women having previous rugby experience, finding people to come out can take some interesting techniques.

“We have a lot of different recruiting, some at ClubFest, but a lot of it is just getting our word out there,” Schmidt said. “We do a lot at the [Lied Recreation Athletic Center], or just through word of mouth. A lot of times we try to get our friends to come out.”

Once people actually show up and get involved, the process becomes a lot easier.

“Once you go I think you are just hooked,” Rolling said.

College women might not be the first thing that comes to mind when rugby is mentioned, but despite any preconceived notions, the team doesn’t catch much grief. If anything, there is a sense of admiration, especially “for certain girls, the ones that weigh about 100 pounds,” Rolling said.

That goes for the whole team.

“A lot of people respect us for doing it,” she said.

“We don’t really take a lot of heat for it.”