Deremer won’t let lost year dim glow of title

The latest in an ongoing series about how West Chester University athletic teams are handling the lost fall season of 2020.

If you look hard enough, you can find a bright spot in just about everything— even in the midst of a deadly global pandemic.

For West Chester women’s rugby coach Tony Deremer, it’s easy to mourn the loss of the 2020 fall season in which the Golden Rams were ready to defend the program’s first national championship. But what if the COVID-19 threat had happened a year earlier, and the thrilling undefeated 2019 season was never allowed to happen?

“I never really thought of that, but it’s the truth,” Deremer said. “If we would have been unable to have the season we had, it would have been terrible because everything just came together.

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime team.”

Just the thought sent chills up his spine. The 9-0 regular season; the opening round playoff victory over Mt. St. Mary’s (Md.); and the come-from-behind 15-14 triumph over Brown in the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association Tier II title game. All of the highlights froma year ago were a gift, especiallywhen viewed through the lens of what is happening right now.

“I’ve had great teams in the past, but this team – everything just meshed to make a perfect storm,” said Deremer, who started WCU’s club program 20 years ago, and ushered in varsity status in 2004.

“We had a group of captains who were amazing, and the culture on the teamwas really good. Plus, we started and played the same group of 15 players pretty much every game, which is unbelievable for rugby.”

And it all wouldn’t have been quite as rewarding if the title match was as easy as WCU’s season opening 25-14 win over Brown. That’s because in the rematch, the Rams were down 14, stormed back to take a slim lead and then held off the Bears in the final 10 minutes to grab the crown.

“Who knows if that wouldhave ever happened again? So in that way, we were lucky,” Deremer said. “It was a dream come true for me, but to see these girls win it and see the joy on their faces – that’s what made it extra special.

“There are videos and photos of the girls collapsing on the field in joy and relief, with tears running down their faces. They call it ugly crying.”

The Rams opened the spring season by going 7-0 with two squads at the Frostbite 7s Tournament in Lancaster in late February. And the team was preparing foramuch-anticipated Spring Break trip abroad. In 2015, WCU went to Ireland. In 2020, Spain was the destination.

But in mid-March, the coronavirus outbreak forced the cancellation of the season, which included the scheduled rugby matches in historic Madrid and Barcelona.

“The night before we were to fly out, they called and said we weren’t going,” Deremer recalled.

“It’s been a tough time, and I struggle with it a lot. We were looking to really have a good spring and that went out the door.”

The Rams were expected to be a powerhouse once again this fall, despite losing quite a few standout players to graduation. Deremer was particularly excited about the prospect of getting a large and talented 2019 recruiting class more into the mix.

“It includes girls from all over the country – from Michigan, Minnesota and Connecticut,” he said. “We are starting to branch out in recruiting. Our success in recent years has kind of put us on the map.

“Now I have girls reaching out tome. They have seen us play and know we have a great program. I’ve received calls from Canada.”

As it stands now, Deremer is preparing as if the fall season is going to be moved to the spring of 2021. But right now, no WCU teams are allowed to practice.

“It’s tough on the players,” Deremer pointed out. “They are on their computers all the time and they’re Zoomed-out. It’s Zoom-fatigue. Sowe try to have a little fun. We are inviting alumni players into our weekly Zoom meeting to tell some stories from their days at West Chester.

“Right now we are expecting them to work on their own. They are pretty dedicated. But we have three new captains and they’ve done a good job deciding what we are going to do as far a tracking each other. They call it a ‘sweatcheck’ – to make sure everybody is doing what they need to do to stay in shape.”