2008 Woodie Awards
Women ruggers place third at nationals
Veronica Whitmore
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The first-year club team shocked the nation with a top-three finish.
"We went in just wanting to do our best and to play as a team," said player Stephanie Hanson.
Going into the tournament, the team was ranked fifth overall, an impressive start for a first-year team.
"We have a great coach," said Hanson, "and there was no unnecessary pressure."
On Saturday, April 16, the women played Dayton at University of California in Santa Cruz, and, taking the win, moved into the top four of the tournament.
"We had a goal to play our best," said player San Juanita Moreno.
On Sunday, April 17, the team played Temple in the semifinals, the Division II defending national champion. Despite a tough battle, Western was defeated by just eight points 22-14, which put the squad in third place overall in the tournament.
"We were really excited with the results," said Hanson.
The team was motivated to succeed this year by the desire to show the rest of the school what it could do.
"Being a first-year team, we had to earn a lot of respect from the other programs," said Moreno.
The respect is definitely coming these athletes' way, not only because the team did so well in the tournament, but also for doing so well all year. Mark Baldwin, Program Analyst at Western and the club's faculty advisor, stated in a school-wide email, "In the first year of women's rugby at Western, these women have represented the Wolves at the national level with their athletic skill, dedication and dignity."
Just getting to California posed an effort for the women. With very little school funding, this young team had to put in a lot of fundraising time and out-of-pocket expenses to get where team members wanted to go this season.
"It all comes with being new to the school," explained Moreno. Taking the tournament as an opportunity to grow even more, the squad was able to stay focused and positive throughout the weekend.
"The most exciting part of the tournament was being able to play against the teams that have been around forever and the teams with really developed programs," said Hanson.
Moreno agreed, adding, "We learned something from every game we played. The competition was really tough, so we were able to improve so much every game."
The women's rugby team is already getting pumped for next season, hoping to do even better as the squad continues to develop.
"We want to win nationals next year," said Moreno. "I have no doubt in my mind that we can do it."
Appreciative of their coach and each other, and buoyed by their national showing, these athletes are ready to take on all comers next season.
"We are a team, and we could never have accomplished everything we have without each other," said Moreno. "It was a great and exciting year."