Allison Mueller/ Winonan

Three months after earning the title of National runner-ups, the Winona State University’s women’s rugby team has begun spring practice. Two weeks ago began preparation for another visit to the USA Rugby Division II Fall National Championship, and the Black Katts saw their first victory of the spring season Saturday.

Head coach Joshua Krzewinski said the first week of practices consists of “getting any new players acclimated to our culture.”

The Black Katts lost nine seniors but will gain seven new players, three of which have rugby experience from high school according to Krzewinski. He said there are also a handful of high school recruits coming in this fall.

“I like the core of returning players I have, and there are some athletic recruits that have joined the team as well,” Krzewinski said. “They will be a nice addition to the talent we have, and I’m excited to see them develop this spring.”

Spring practices will focus on development and preparation, working on things seen from the fall season that need fixing and improving the things that went well. The players will also be able to work on different positions. The Black Katts have scheduled games against women’s city teams that Krzewinski said will “give the girls a chance to put all their skills together against teams we typically don’t play.”

The snowfall last week posed as an obstacle for the Black Katts in preparation of their ensuing game. This was an obstacle that Krzewinski said “threw us for a loop and we had to alter our practice schedule.”

“Coming into the game I felt we were behind compared to what I wanted to have worked on at practice,” Krzewinski said.

Despite this, the Black Katts secured their first victory 48-5 on Saturday against the Minnesota Valkyries Rugby Club.

Winona State was able to score an early try, which Krzewinski said served as a great confidence booster for the girls. He said the connection of scrumhalf Georgia Porter and flyhalf Katie Dries gave the Black Katts the advantage to launch several backline attacks against the Valkyries.

Krzewinski said, “Playing a senior women’s club for your first match of the season is nerve racking. The sophomores and juniors really stepped up as leaders.”

Due to the Black Katt’s success in the past, it is difficult to get games against other colleges during the spring season, as teams are able to make their own schedules. The Black Katts resort to mainly playing city teams due to this and, in attempt to limit travel, cutting down on expenses while still getting competitive matches.

Krzewinski said playing these city teams exposes the girls to the next level of rugby, which gives them contacts with teams so they can continue playing rugby after college. He also said women’s city teams bring “a different intensity and skill set to the field.”

The Black Katts will play four or five weekends during the spring, since the fall season is typically 17 to 18 weeks long.

“The first game is always that initial test. It exposes the strengths and weaknesses of our players and allows us to structure practices to address those things,” Krzewinski said. “I’m happy to have a decent victory under the belts and have six practices to prepare for our home tournament.”

Winona State will host the Fools Fest Tournament April 11 at Southeast Technical College consisting of men’s and women’s teams from the University of Minnesota, Mankato State University, Gustavus Adolphus College, University of St. Thomas and University of Wisconsin La Crosse.

To follow, the Black Katts will travel to Madison, Wis. April 19 to compete against the Wisconsin Collegiate Sevens, then to Minneapolis, Minn. the following weekend to face off against Twin City Amazons B-side. They will then return home to host Minneapolis Menagerie May 2.