CASTLETON, Vt. – The Castleton women's rugby team capped Senior Day with a win on Sunday afternoon, dropping the Manhattanville Valiants, 2-1. Pamela McCullough, Aubrey Tetlow, and Maya Johnstone were honored in a pregame ceremony.

The Spartans (5-2) were powered by three Tetlow tries including a successful conversion. Senior McCullough scored twice, marking her first official tries in a Spartan uniform. Katelynn Dunn and Natalie Simecek added tries as Simecek also connected on a two-pointer. The Valiants (2-2) were held scoreless in the first two games before winning the final contest, 10-5.

In game one, neither team could muster a score until Tetlow took off for 35 yards, tossing to McCullough who powered in from five yards out to get the Spartans on the board with two minutes remaining. The Spartans found paydirt as time expired with Dunn streaking down the sideline and beating the Valiant defense for her seventh try of the season, giving Castleton the 10-0 victory.

Scoring in game two commenced rather quickly as Tovah Coe took down a Valiant ball-carrier and allowed Tetlow to scoop it up, then dash 61 yards to the try zone. Simecek chipped in the conversion to make it a 7-0 Castleton lead less than a minute in. The Spartans did not allow Manhattanville to cross midfield for the rest of the first half. Tetlow struck again in the second half after Coe handed the ball off in a ruck, after which Tetlow scurried 26 yards for the try. The senior flyhalf also supplied a successful conversion, extending the lead to 14-0. After time expired, an attempted game-ending lineout by Manhattanville fell short into the arms of Simecek who ran in for a 10-yard try, clinching a win with a 19-0 thumping.

The Valiants got their first score of the day from Hlande Romain 2:15 into the final game as Manhattanville took a 5-0 advantage. Early in the second half, McCullough received a toss at the 15-yard line and took it into the try zone, knotting it at 5-5. Minutes later, an elusive Kaylan Jernigan of Manhattanville sped through the Spartan defense and scored from midfield, taking the 10-5 lead that would remain.

The Spartans wrap up the regular season next Saturday, October 15 at the University of New England. Kickoff against the 2021 NIRA Division III runner-up is 3 p.m.