Cougars 15s pose after Chico St. Score 29 - 17. Photo by Nicole McCullough.

Las Vegas, NV – BYU Women’s Cougars 15s took on Chico St at the Las Vegas Women’s College Challenge 15s, and won 29 to 17. This has become a traditional match, between the two schools, who also played here last year. BYU won that too 53 – 6. It was a gutsy effort by the young Cougars side. The Provo women started strong, piling up 17 points – 0 before the half.

Chico State came back and out scored the Cougars in the second half 17 – 12. BYU Coach Tom Waqa was pleased with the effort, although he wanted the team to finish a lot stronger next time.

This was good exposure for some of the girls especially the ones, playing rugby for the first time. It was a good way to gauge our strengths and weaknesses and proceed towards the later part of the season.

BYU Cougars
1. Boaz 2. Christianson 3. Jackson 4. Christensen 5. Stevens 6. Torgerson 7. McCullough 8. Tafua 9. Grether 10. Peterson 11. Sue 12. Khan 13. Kenzi 14. Richardson 15. Marshall

WCR's Keelia Harker on the move at LVI. Dobson Images.

The Las Vegas Invitational’s Silver Bowl fields are a flurry with women’s matches. There’s a nice mix of Canadian and American teams logging their first games of the weekend, and as far as the colleges are concerned, Women’s Cougar Rugby was certainly the class of the opening round.

Even just approaching the pitch, one could see the physical differences between WCR and Stony Brook University, the Cougars’ opening round opponent. The majority of WCR’s players were lean, strong and fast. They were well drilled and piled on 36 points over SBU.

WCR has two teams out in Vegas – one 7s, one 15s – and it’s no surprise that the Provo team ran away with the win, as coach Tom Waqa has placed his veteran players on the 7s team and less experienced on the 15s squad.

“Our goal this weekend is exposure in Utah,” Waqa said. “The core, starting [15s] players are on the 7s team. They’re more athletic, quick and I wanted to develop their individual skills in the game of 7s.”

Among the veteran group are Star Bollinger-Monson, Keelia Harker and Kristi Jackson, all of whom are familiar names to the national 7s pool. One exception to the veteran-only 7s team was Canadian-born Jordan Gray. The tall, powerful prop posed some trouble for SBU and allowed the 18-year-old to find the try zone.

“She’s doing a lot of good things for us this season,” Waqa said. “She normally plays No. 8 for us [in 15s], but if we can get her fit and conditioned, she could be really good.”

The LVI is part of an extensive pre-season that will see the Cougars play New Mexico, Glendale Raptors and tour Canada. WCR won the Pacific Mountain East

Conference in the fall, so their eyes are already set on nationals. One can bet that Stanford and Penn State, also playing in the LVI, will be keeping their eyes on the Cougars.

All American BYU Center Kristi Jackson in action against CSU

Women’s Cougar Rugby is now 4-0 in the Pacific Mountain Conference after its 41-0 win over Colorado State yesterday. The Cougars have yet to have a single point scored against them, while they’ve racked up 234 points over the course of the season.
Kristi Jackson broke the scoring silence against Colorado State.

Despite the runaway, Colorado State gave WCR its best match of the season. Conditions were wet and slippery, so either side suffered from handling errors, which also kept the score lower than average.

CSU was able to hold WCR scoreless through the first half, but then All American center Kristi Jackson got the try-scoring rolling after a clean linebreak. Jackson scored another try later in the game, while No. 8 Jordan Gray matched her try count. Wing Bex Siebach, flanker Sam Wright and prop Monica Jackson tacked on a try apiece, while outside center Shanie Rowley slotted three conversions.

The game wasn’t without its lessons for WCR. Coach Tom Waqa was impressed with Colorado State’s aggressiveness and work around the field, and saw areas of improvement for his team in comparison.

“We are happy with the win,” Waqa said. “We still have to wait for official word from our conference, but this win puts us in sound mind going into next semester and collegiate playoffs.”

League season is now over for WCR, but the team has two more friendlies against Utah State and Weber State before Thanksgiving. The squad gets moving again in early January and will return to the Las Vegas Invitational to kick off its winter season.

Sam Wright scores for BYU against CSU Saturday.

Sam Wright lineout take against Air Force 2011

Women’s Cougar Rugby of BYU rang up their third straight massive shutout, and their second in less than 24 hours as they pummeled Air Force 65-0 Saturday in Colorado Springs.

WCR beat Colorado 54-0 on Friday evening.

This is their third league win after joining the Eastern Rockies DI league in the West RFU (BYU has previously been part of the Pacific Coast), and they have yet to give up a point.

“Overall we played well on defense but we haven’t been tested much,” said Cougars Head Coach Tom Waqa. “We controlled the game and had a majority of the possession and territory. We have a whole bunch of talented girls, and the incoming freshmen have been picking things up really quick. I am very happy with that.”

Waqa said the games have not been pushovers, but the scores tell a different story, and the Cougar coach said he will definitely be looking for opponents who can put his team under pressure.

“Last year our toughest game was against Army,” he said. “We need to have those types of games earlier in the season.”

Still the BYU Cougars showed they can win two league games in two days, and are dominating their league.

In other league action, Colorado State defeated New Mexico 26-15. Club president Laura Whitney said the Rams did well to use their backs more than they have in past matches.

“We had a lot of injuries after the game with Air Force,” Whitney said. “We lost both our starting flankers. But we came together and just dealt with it and showed good organization.”

CSU improves to 2-1.

The latest league standings are:

BYU Women's Rugby Tour - Colorado 2011

The Women’s Cougar Rugby program started their two-match weekend trip to Colorado with a 54-0 shutout of Colorado in Boulder on Friday.

The BYU students have moved to the Eastern Rockies DI competition, and looked plenty strong in their first road league match of the season.

“We started a little slow,” said Head Coach Tom Waqa. “It took some time to find our rhythm and settle in the beginning, and then we worked our way into the game. We really need work on being consistent day-in, day-out. I’ve challenged our leaders to lead from up front, and get us some good platform.”

This they did as the game wore on, but Colorado had the Cougars on the back foot early and almost scored.

“They have some tough girls in the pack,”  said Waqa. “I’m glad our defense came through.”

The Women Cougars were led by captain and flanker Samantha Wright and No. 8 Jordan Gray, who each scored three tries.

Next up is Air Force, as the Cougars hope to make it 3-0 in league competition (they beat New Mexico 75-0 October 8).

“We need to improve our overall performance against Air Force,” said Waqa. “The girls are good at adjusting when we play doubleheaders like this; hopefully we continue to do that tomorrow. We played on a turf field for the first time, I’m just glad we came out without any major injuries.”

After coming off an 80-3 win last week over Utah State, the BYU women’s rugby team looked for a defensive challenge against the University of New Mexico but did not find it.

The Cougars pummeled their opponents this past weekend, 75-0, in their first home game of the season.

“I will take 75-0 anytime,” head coach Tom Waqa said. “Even though that was the score, we still need to work on many aspects in the basics area.”

Shanie Rowly on the move for the Cougars – Photo by Chris Bunker

The BYU women’s rugby team defeats New Mexico on Saturday at Fort Utah Park.

Players on the team agreed that although New Mexico did not provide much of a challenge, the Cougars still need to improve their game if heading to the Sweet 16 is still in their future. One such aspect of their game was the ruck.

Rucking consists of several players coming to the aid of a tackled player so she can pass it off and continue on down the field.

“That is always something we can work on to make cleaner,” said Chelsie Hill, a second-year player from Kennewick, Wash. “We still need to work on our rucks. It’s still hard to get the ball out.”

Getting the ball out from the ruck created opportunities for the Cougars to move the ball across the field to score again and again.

Senior Ela Wolfgramm said teamwork and moving the ball paid off the most in BYU’s victory against UNM.

“A lot of the plays were hands all the way out; we were passing around,” Wolfgramm said. “Because of our teamwork there was more intensity in this game than the other games.”

Toward the close of the second half, fans on the sidelines could sense the Lobos’ frustration. But despite the Lobos’ frustration, the Cougars continued their dominance until the end, scoring two more tries before the close of the game.

Even though the Cougars did not find the defensive challenge they were looking for, they kept the ball in Lobo territory the majority of the game.

“We still had a lot of the possession,” assistant coach Kara Remington said, “which is a little disappointing because we were hoping to play a little more defense. I thought we did do a good job when they did have the ball. We did a good job not giving up any territory.”

Despite the success the Cougars have experienced early on in the season, the players and coaches know more competition is still to come.

“We still need to be humble,” Waqa said, “because the competition is going to get better. We need to prepare for the best.”

Sisters Monica & Kristi Jackson on USA Collegiate Academic Honor Roll 2011

July 1, 2011 – USARUGBY.ORG

BOULDER, Colo. — Sixty-five student-athletes from 30 schools have been named to the first USA Rugby College Academic Honor Roll.

The Honor Roll is a new initiative by USA Rugby’s College Department to recognize rugby student-athletes who excel in the classroom. To be eligible for recognition a student-athlete must by an A-side player with a 3.70 cumulative GPA and be a junior, senior or 5th year senior academically in at least their second season of competition at their current school.

Student-athletes were nominated by their head coach or team president and had to agree to submit a current transcript in order to be considered for the list. All nominees who met the criteria were named to the list.

2011 USA Rugby Men’s College Academic Honor Roll

Name                           School                   Cl.      Position         Major
John Nickerson              Air Force                 Jr.       Prop/Lock        Political Science
Kebin Umodu                 Air Force                 Jr.       Prop                Computer Science
Michael Manna               Arizona St.               Jr.       Scrumhalf        Business/Finance
Paul Raath                     Arkansas St.            Sr.       Flanker            International Business
Jonathan Bill                  Bowling Green         Jr.       Wing               Construction Technology
Ben Marshall                  Bowling Green         Sr.       Scrumhalf        Science Education
Matt Howe                     Coastal Carolina       Sr.       Lock                Marine Science
Nicholas Leger               Coastal Carolina       Sr.       Flanker            History
Nate Brakeley                Dartmouth               Jr.       Lock                Engineering
Chirs Downer                 Dartmouth               Sr.       Wing               Asian Middle Eastern Studies
Victor Galson                 Dartmouth               Sr.       Wing               Philosophy
Clark Judge                   Dartmouth               Jr.       Wing               Biology
William Lehmann           Dartmouth               Jr.       Center             History
James Burbage              Georgetown (D.C.)   Sr.       Flanker            History
Nicholas Shephard          Georgetown (D.C.)   Sr.       Flanker            Human Science
DesRaj Clark                 Hampden-Sydney     Jr.       No. 8               Biology
Frank Rose                    Hampden-Sydney     Jr.       Hooker            Psychology
Ian Blair                        Indiana                   Jr.       Flanker            English
Samuel Dunton              Indiana                   Jr.       Center             Entrepreneurship
Jay Hirsh                       Indiana                   Jr.       Fullback           Marketing
Evan Kaufman               Indiana                   Jr.       Center             Economic Consulting
Steve Ferina                  Iona                        Sr.       No. 8               Finance
Colin Murray                  Iona                        Sr.       Lock                Marketing
Dan Garces                   Marquette                5th       Lock                Mechanical Engineering
David Bray                    Notre Dame             Sr.       No. 8               Pre-Med/History
Andrew Mullen               Notre Dame             Sr.       Flanker            Civil Engineering
James Suber                  Principia                  Sr.       Scrumhalf        History
Michael Cotton               Rutgers                   Jr.       Lock                Pre-Business
Kyle Dizeo                     Rutgers                   Jr.       Wing               History/English
Jason Prestinario            Stanford                  Sr.       Prop                Mechanical Engineering
Chris Riklin                    Stanford                  Sr.       Hooker            Political Science
Billy Vernon                   Stanford                  Sr.       Flanker            Economics
Matthew Graham           Stony Brook             Sr.       Lock                Chemical & Molecular Engineering
Lucas Herrera                Tennessee               Sr.       Prop                Electrical Engineering
Stephen Mahoney           Texas                      Sr.       Center             Psychology
Michael Sierra-Arevalo    Texas                      Jr.       Flanker            Psychology
Taylor Foster                 Wayne St. (Neb.)     Jr.       Center             Communications
Nolan Perrsons              Wayne St. (Neb.)     Jr.       Wing               Pre-Pharmacy
Michael Parlato              West Florida            Jr.       Scrumhalf        Electrical Engineering

2011 USA Rugby Women’s College Academic Honor Roll

Name                           School                   Cl.      Position         Major
Hannah Edwards            Cal                          Jr.       Lock                Political Science
Maria Andrea Oliva         Cal                          Sr.       Hooker            Public Health
Nha Vu                          Cal                          Jr.       Wing               Psychology
Colleen Carey                Colorado                 Jr.       No. 8               Anthropology
Emily Spangler               Colorado                 Jr.       Scrumhalf        Environmental Engineering
Tana Mackenzie Guy      Florida                    Jr.       Flanker            Industrial & Systems Engineering
Marian Maloney             Florida                    Sr.       Lock                English and Spanish
Kristi Jackson                 Lady Cougars          Sr.       Center             Nursing
Monica Jackson              Lady Cougars          Jr.       Prop                Nursing
Keilani Paul                    Lady Cougars          Sr.       Prop                Neuroscience
Karen Ellrod                   Mary Washington     Sr.       Flyhalf             Psychology & Philosophy
Morgane Grivel              Maryland                 Sr.       Flanker            Aerospace Engineering
Aubrey Blanche              Northwestern           Sr.       Hooker            Political Science
Charlotte Eilbert             Stanford                  Sr.       Scrumhalf        Economics
Frances Wehrwein         Stanford                  Jr.       Flanker            Psychology
Katie Valli                      Truman St.              Sr.       Flyhalf             English
Carlye Marszalek           Truman St.              Jr.       Prop                Exercise Science
Julia Nissen                   Vassar                    Sr.       Center             Latin America & Latino Studies
Jennifer Becker              Wayne St. (Neb.)     Sr.       No. 8               Elementary Education
Ashley Belmer               Wayne St. (Neb.)     Sr.       Flyhalf             Physical Education
Hailey Hanson               Wayne St. (Neb.)     Jr.       Prop                Criminal Justice
Amber Kutnink               Wayne St. (Neb.)     Jr.       Flanker            Pre-Med
Rochelle Reinke             Wayne St. (Neb.)     Sr.       Scrumhalf        Exercise Science
Emily Witte                    Wayne St. (Neb.)     Sr.       Flanker            Exercise Science
Caitlin Froh                    Winona St.               Sr.       Center             Nursing
Lily Wellenstein              Winona St.               Jr.       Scrumhalf        Recreation & Tourism

US Collegiate All Americans Tour 2011 - Katie O'Malley, Kristi Jackson, Kay Onyekwere, Kara Longhurst Remington and Rebekah Siebach

July 14, 2011 – AUTHOR: USARUGBY.ORG

BOULDER, COLORADO – USA Rugby is proud to announce the 2011 Women’s Collegiate All-Americans.  These student-athletes are recognized as the best collegiate women’s rugby players in the country.  There are two lists of All-Americans, Division I and Division II. The Touring Squad will be named later this month and will compete in the Can-Am Games from July 28-31 in upstate New York.

The selection process to the Women’s Collegiate All-Americans was a robust and collaborative effort.  Selectors included Martha Daines (Women’s Collegiate All-Americans Head Coach) as well as coaches from the age-grade to senior national team ranks.

Pete Steinberg (Women’s National Team Head Coach), Ric Suggitt (Women’s Sevens Team Head Coach), Bryn Chivers (Women’s Under-20s Head Coach) and Alex Williams (Women’s High Performance Director) contributed to the selections.

The list of Division I All-Americans includes 34 student-athletes from 17 different universities and colleges across the country.  The 34 athletes on the DI list and 28 representatives on the DII list were selected from a pool of nearly 12,000 women’s collegiate rugby players.

Selectors used the fall and spring seasons to construct their player pools for All-American selection.  The National All-Star Championship at Founders Field in Pittsburgh, Pa., last month and the DI and DII National Championships served as opportunities for selectors to refine the pool to the top players in each division.

In addition to having the honor of being named an All-American, many of these student-athletes have earned invitations to a variety of national team assemblies:

20 student-athletes participated in a Women’s High Performance Collegiate Academy Camp in Pittsburgh, Pa. in June
9 are attending the Women’s Sevens Elite Camp at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif.
9 are competing for the USA in the 2011 Women’s U20 Nations Cup
1 player will compete with the Women’s National Team this August in the Senior Nations Cup
8 athletes on the list have represented the USA on the senior women’s sevens team

The Women’s Collegiate All-Americans Touring Squad will assemble in late July to prepare for the Can-Am Tournament where they will face a Canadian select side. There are opportunities available to support and sponsor these outstanding student-athletes. Opportunities range from sponsoring a team meal to purchasing advertisements. For more information, click here.

DIVISION I WOMEN’S COLLEGIATE ALL-AMERICANS
Forwards
Kyle Armstrong (Penn State)
Evelyn Ashenbrucker (University of California – San Diego)
Monica Jackson (BYU)
Nick James (Texas A&M)
Katie Johnson (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
Joanna Kitlinski (Grand Valley State)
Megan Liesenfeldt (Army)
Kelsey Mcilonie (University of California – San Diego)
Izraelle McKinnon (Brown)
Dot Mittow (Princeton)
Kayla Orvik (Army)
Jennifer Sandifer (Navy)
Wendy Sherman (Colorado State)
Cassandra Tong (University of California – Los Angeles)
Alycia Washington (University of Connecticut)
Frances Wehrwein (Stanford)
Ela Wolfgramm (BYU)

Backs
Sadie Anderson (Penn State)
Sharlyn Carter   (Virginia)
Erica Cavenaugh (Virginia)
Lisa Henneman (Penn State)
Brittany Houston (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
Kristi Jackson (BYU)
Anne Lee (Army)
Anna (Katie) Lorenz (University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill)
Blaine Martin (Brown)
Tyra McGrady (Indiana University)
Deven Owsiany (Penn State)
Kara Remington (BYU)
Kimber Rozier (University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill)
Jessica Sexauer (Army)
Rebekah Siebach (BYU)
Marie Timm (Army)
Amelia Villines (Stanford)

DIVISION II WOMEN’S COLLEGIATE ALL-AMERICANS
Forwards
Candace Barley (Lee)
Hannah Bushey (Norwich University)
Ana Carvajal (Santa Clara)
Aoibheann Cline (Humboldt)
Loryn Fridie (Bowdoin)
Ashley George (Stonehill)
Grace Hovde (University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh)
Kendra Klump (Minnesota State University-Mankato)
Mackenzie Lewis (Mesa State)
Rachel Ryan (University of Wyoming)
Molly Walter (University of Mary Washington)
Ginger Whitehead (University of Northern Colorado)
Christina Zier (Central Washington)

Backs
Alyssa Baccarella (MIT)
Megan Bonny (Washington State)
Xanni Brown (Radcliffe)
Gabrielle Dixon (Longwood University)
April Fogel (Western Washington)
Evan Hoese (Radcliffe)
Kirsten Miller (Mesa State)
Alyssa Mizell (George Washington)
Natalie Monroig (Shippensburg)
Katie O’Malley (Stonehill)
Ashley Okonta (Notre Dame)
Angelina Pascual (Santa Clara)
Kathleen Stanley (Notre Dame)
Becky Stevens (Bowdoin)
Miranda Wakimoto (Boston University)

Kristi Jackson charges down the line for BYU against Army. Dobson Images.

A huge second half effort almost lifted Cougar women’s rugby over Army, but the women of West Point proved just fit enough to hold them off, winning Friday’s DI women’s college semifinal 29-20 at Stanford.

The Cougars jumped out to an early lead with a try from Tressa Tenney, but Army ticked of the next 12-straight points with a try and conversion from flanker Anne Lee and a try from fullback Jess Sexauer. Rebekah Siebach then scored the Provo women’s second try, but it too went unconverted.

Kayla Orvik re-extended Army’s lead with a converted try just before intermission, giving the Cadets a 19-10 advantage at halftime.

The Cougars had all the motivation coming out of the break, putting relentless pressure on Army, and Siebach scored her second try of the game to pull the Cougars within a single strike at 19-15.

The Cougars went directly back on the offensive. Multiple impressive mauls ended inches short of pay dirt and numerous phases added to an obvious overload out wide. Minutes of Cougar work had let to this overload, but it was thwarted by a heroic tackle from Sexauer, who closed the gap between her and the ball carrier swiftly and delivered a crushing blow.

“When there’s barely anytime left in the game and a tackle’s on the line, you just have so much more motivation to get over there,” said an exhausted Sexauer. “I was hurting at halftime, I’m not going to lie. I was tired, but when you know the game’s over when you miss that tackle, you’re not going to miss it. She actually knocked me pretty good. I felt a little woozy and the trainer wanted to take me out, but if the game’s on the line you’ve got to play.”

The Cougars retained possession, but the hit was a momentum lifter. The Cougars continued their pressure, but knocked on, seemingly spoiling their great scoring opportunity. But they stole Army’s scrum and Ela Wolfgramm staved off multiple would-be tacklers before crashing across the goal line, giving the women from BYU the lead; 20-19.

The Cougars muffed the ensuing kickoff, giving Army a scrum right around the Cougars’ 22-meter line, from which they scored. Sexauer gained most of the yardage off of the set play, and Lee took it in.

“It was a set play, and our backline looked good, but that was all our scrum. Forwards got us the ball nice and clean, and when that happens there’s just no stopping us,” said the Army fullback.

Up 24-20, Army had recaptured the momentum. The Cougar women had some late charges, but couldn’t mount a serious threat – the type of three they’d failed to capitalize on in the first half. Possession traded throughout the final 20 minutes, and an injury to Orvik sapped a lot of the emotion. At full time, Sexauer scampered in for the final score, which would give Army the 29-20 win.

Sexauer, despite being woozy from fatigue or perhaps the sun, delivered the emotional charge Army needed in the second half, set up one try and touched down the final play.

“She’s always been a huge player for us. I think she’s one of the most dangerous players in the game,” said Army coach Will Riddle. “The heart really got to her today. I think she was a little bit off her game just because of the heat.”

Kylie Maclennan and Monica Jackson on defense against Navy. (Dropkickphotos)

Scorelines don’t always tell the story of the game. Women’s Cougar Rugby defeated a fiesty Navy team 7-0 during today’s Women’s DI College Championship quarterfinals, but WCR coach Tom Waqa felt the score was a bit misleading.

“It was a very tough game, and our girls left it all out on the field,” Waqa said. “Navy is a good team and they came to play, but we wanted it more. We dominated every aspect of the game, and played in Navy’s half a lot. We should have scored more, but the weather conditions didn’t help. We’ll take the win, though, and use the victory going forward.”

Both sides came out with a specific game plan to neutralize the other’s strengths. Navy did a good job of shutting down WCR’s ultra potent backline, while the Cougars focused on turning over the ball and answering the Midshipmen’s physical forwards.

“The girls stuck to the game plan and defended the fringes very well,” Waqa said. “Credit goes to the forwards, who created turnovers in the set pieces and drove Navy’s scrum off the ball – even in the last 10 minutes when we were down to seven in the scrum.”

Although WCR struggled to consistency and finishing scoring opportunities, inside center Kristi Jackson rose to the challenge of Navy’s pressure, and accounted for the game’s only try, which Star Bollinger converted.

“It was a perfectly executed play that began from midfield scrum,” Waqa said. “She broke the line and did the rest herself. In my opinion, Kristi is the best inside center in the nation.”

As mentioned, Navy had an opportunity to capitalize on Cougar yellow card with 10 minutes remaining, but WCR’s defense rose to the task, and kept Navy off the scoreboard.

“I’m so proud of the girls,” Waqa said. “This was a game that needed to be appreciated on television – two high quality teams playing with a lot of heart.

“We’ve only been allowed to compete for the championship in the last three years, and after last year’s forfeit, today’s win was emotional,” Waqa said. “This is the first time our program has advanced to the final four. Morale is very high.”

Looking ahead to Army, the team’s Final Four opponent, Waqa ensures that the team won’t be taking the team for granted and we’ll treat them as the good team they are.

“We’ve seen everything, but we’re not underestimating anyone,” Waqa said. “We’ve withstood everything, and I can promise you that we’ll come out and play.”

Keelia Harker in action against UCLA. BYU 30 UCLA 10. (Dan Paul photo)

A tremendous quarterfinal match awaits in the Women’s DI College Championships, as Women’s Cougar Rugby (WCR) and Navy prepare for tomorrow’s face-off. Both teams put about 20 points between themselves and their competitors, and received well-earned berths to the Round of 8.

WCR defeated SoCal #2 team UCLA 30-10. The Bruins put in a good showing and challenged the Cougars early, scoring first to put the pressure on WCR.

“Credit goes to UCLA. They’re here to play and came at us,” WCR coach Tom Waqa said. “I was impressed with our girls; they didn’t panic. They stayed focused and answered back immediately.”

Rebekah Siebach relieved some pressure with a try to even it up, and then Kristi Jackson and Kara Remington followed suit. Star Bollinger hit a conversion for the 17-5- lead at half. Once again, the weather conditions and narrow field dimensions restricted the wide-open game for which both teams are known, but WCR adapted better to the restrictions.

“A truly good team doesn’t need perfect conditions to execute,” WCR captain Kara Remington said. “You’ve got to run with it and be ready to look for different ways to play. You make do with what you have.”

UCLA played a similar game to WCR, sucking in the defense with aggressive punches around the fringe before sending the ball wide. The Cougars had a couple close calls out wide but some scrambling defense managed to kill the Bruins’ overloads.

WCR did a better job retaining possession, and that made the difference in the game. The forwards were greatly challenged by UCLA, but stepped it up and retained enough possession to allow the backs to move the ball. Ela Wolfgramm and Jessie Beck tacked on second-half tries, while Bollinger and Chanel Arts split the two conversions. With a comfortable lead, Waqa made some substitutions and UCLA took advantage of the inexperience on the pitch, scoring with not time remaining, 30-10.

“We wanted it more,” Waqa said. “We weren’t restricted, we adjusted; although we could have scored a lot more if the field was wider. We had a game plan and the girls stuck to it.”

“The game set a tone for us,” Remington added. “We’re here to win and that what we did today. There were no huge superstars today, and I’m glad about that. We’re playing as a team and that’s how we plan to move forward.”

The Cougars will face Navy tomorrow, which defeated Colorado State 41-18 today.

“We played well,” CSU coach Jenna Middleton said, “but Navy is a really good, organized team. They were as physical as we assumed, and it came down to being outsized in the pack and especially the backs. The scrumhalf did a good job of getting the ball out, and they were prepared to run. They moved the ball really quickly and capitalized on our mistakes.”

CSU played Navy to a 24-11 halftime deficit, but mentally slid out of contention in the second half when a series of minor mistakes allowed Navy to make good on turnover ball. While CSU did an excellent job in the ruck, they couldn’t hold onto possession long enough to unleash their backs, who played good defense but barely any offense. Eight of CSU points came from the long, strong boot of flyhalf Laura Whitney.

Navy’s performance against a strong, wily CSU erases all doubt that the young, inexperienced team lacks consistency. Sue Parker has whipped together an extra potent squad that will certainly challenge WCR for the berth to the Final.

BYU Womens Cougars pose after beating Stanford 24 - 7

It’s been years in the making, but now Women’s Cougar Rugby can join the very short list of teams that can say: Stanford isn’t invincible. Unless you’re Penn State, which has split the last six DI college titles with the Cardinal, it seems that Stanford competes in an elevated tier of play, and is everyone’s rival on the West Coast. But now WCR can officially consider itself a peer of the California powerhouse, having defeated Stanford 24-7 yesterday for the Pacific Coast Championship.

“It was two really good teams going at each other,” WCR coach Tom Waqa said. “It was one of those games you’d expect at the end of the [national] tournament. Stanford has never been a bad side, but we came out to play. We contested every play as if it was our last. Full credit goes to the girls for responding to the adjustments needed from yesterday [against UC Davis]. The team gave it their all; there were no individual efforts.”

Heading into the final against Stanford, WCR knew it could not make the mistakes it made against UC Davis. UCD surprised the Cougars at the beginning of the game by scoring first, and a lack of consistency in retaining possession resulted in a jarring game. UC Davis had the edge in the forwards, while WCR had the edge in the backs, and a lot of pressure was put on its speedy backline to score points when spurts of momentum presented themselves.

Saturday was a different story. Ten minutes in, Chanel Arts barreled over the try line. Kristi Jackson further stressed the home team with another try shortly afterward. The scoreboard took a break for awhile, before Rebekah Siebach put another five-pointer on the board. Star Bollinger slotted two extras for the 19-0 halftime lead.

“Historically, we’ve been in the lead at halftime against Stanford, and it isn’t until the final five to 10 minutes that we lose the game,” Waqa remembered last year’s 19-12 loss at the Pacific Coast tournament. “I challenged the girls to prevent that from happening this time. Forget about the Sweet 16s for now – this is the game we want to win heading into the national tournament.”

Stanford started to battle back in the second half, as expected, and put its seven points on the board with a well earned converted try. But the Cougars answered immediately and lock Kayla Ellingson extended WCR’s lead to 24-7 with her second try of the weekend.

There was still enough time on the clock for the Cardinal to mount a comeback, but WCR’s defense wouldn’t let up.

“Our forwards really came through for us and defended really well,” Waqa said. “Our fringe defense was great, and Stanford scored only one try – and that says a lot. We wanted the game so bad.”

With that win, WCR will head to Blaine, MN, as the Pacific Coast top seed and play Southern California’s #2 seed, UCLA. Stanford will travel to Buffalo, NY, and take on Northeast #3 seed Dartmouth.

UC Davis will also be heading to the national tournament, having defeated Chico State in the third place match. UCD will see Virginia in Bowling Green, Ohio.

Pac Coast DI Championship - BYU Women 2011

BYU lineout take against UC Davis 2011

Women’s Cougar Rugby (WCR) is the first of the Pacific Coast teams to secure a spot at DI college nationals. With its 45-22 win over UC Davis at this evening’s territorial semifinal, WCR heads to tomorrow’s final against the winner of Stanford v Chico State.

“It was a tough game for us,” WCR coach Tom Waqa said. “Led by Delaney Chapman, UC Davis played their hearts out. We were definitely tested, and they put a lot of pressure on us. The score doesn’t tell the story of the game.”

UC Davis caught WCR off guard and scored first. The Cougars fought back to a 17-10 halftime lead, but a lack of consistency prevented the team from sustaining momentum.

“There were spots where we were brilliant, but then we’d lose it,” Waqa said. “We were lucky that we scored during the good spots.”

“It was a good game, but they worked the ball well through the backs and had a stronger second half to pull away,” UC Davis’ Chapman said. “Both sides played hard and it was a tough game.”

Rebekah Siebach led with three tries, while Kylie Maclennon, Kayla Ellingson, Kristi Jackson and Chanel Arts also cross for five-pointers. Star Bollinger notched five conversions.

“It was a tale of two sides,” Waqa continued. “We had the advantage in the backs, and their work in the breakdown was phenomenal. They had the better of us in the forwards.”

UC Davis took advantage of some basic mistakes in the fourth quarter to tack on some more points, but the comeback evolved too late.

Looking ahead, Waqa saw some obvious areas of improvement on which the team must shore up before tomorrow’s match.

“We have a lot of work to do for our game against Stanford,” said Waqa as he watched Stanford build a 24-0 first-half lead over Chico State. “Our forward pack needs to be better in the breakdown. They provided some good ball for us, but then we didn’t capitalize. We play a similar game as Stanford, so it’ll come down to whoever is consistent and maintains possession.”

The Pacific Coast DI Championship will be decided tomorrow evening, as will the third-place game, the winner of which will also head to nationals.

This weekly magazine program highlights events, people, and research taking place at Brigham Young University. Stay caught up with all the most up-to-date happenings on the Cougar’s campus. BYU Women’s Rugby news starts from the 17:55th minute.

BYU's Cajin Christianson breaks through the defense. (Shelby Peterson photo)

Saturday, April 2, 2011
By Jackie Finlan – RugbyMag.com

BYU’s Women Cougar Rugby defeated Chico State 39-10 during yesterday’s DI college Pacific Coast playin final. The teams advanced to the final after wins against Oregon (62-5 to CSU) and California (67-21).

“We really came out firing in the first 20 minutes of the game against Chico,” BYU coach Tom Waqa said. “As a coach, you want them to do that consistently and this is encouraging. We scored a try from flyhalf Kara Remington in the first 30 seconds of the 1st half.”

Remington’s try set a nice tone for the home team, and it was an improvement over BYU’s game against California, who were able to score more often than Waqa would have liked.

“We played much better than yesterday,” Waqa referenced the Cal game. “We controlled the ball, and our defense improved alot compared to the Cal game. We still have room for improvement, and will be working on maintaining composure for a full 80 minutes. There were times when we lost our concentration and made mistakes, which happens when good teams pressure you. But those technical mistakes can be fixed.”

Chico’s forwards posed the biggest problem for BYU, and multiple series of punches in the second half accounted for one of CSU’s tries. But Waqa was pleased overall with the team’s defense, which stood strong in the red zone, but needs some shoring up around the fringes.

“One of the highlights of the game against Chico was when prop Erin Treasure outran everyone 50 meters to score in the second half,” Waqa said. “The big names did the usual, but I’ll give this to our supporting cast. They really stepped it up.”

Wing Chanel Arts led the team with three tries and was complimented by centers Kristi Jackson and Star Bollinger. In the forwards, hooker Cajin Christianson and flanker Ela Wolfgramm put in outstanding performances.

Waqa started his top XV in both matches, and exited the weekend with no serious injuries. “At this stage, you have to plan for two-game weekends,” Waqa said. “We’ve been cautious about our key players, but at the same time, they need to get experience in these pressure games. We’re not taking anyone lightly going forward; it’s only going to get tougher from here, and all the other teams will be ready for us.”

USA Rugby has adopted a Friday/Saturday schedule for 2011 to accommodate BYU’s playing restrictions on Sunday. The opportunity has invigorated the team. “Morale is high,” Waqa said. “We know that the schedule helps us, and the girls have made lots of sacrifices to be ready for the next stage. From a coaching perspective, I can see it in practice and workouts. They’re determined to go farther than they’ve ever been.”

BYU and Chico advance to the Pacific Coast semifinals in two weeks time. BYU will face UC Davis, and Chico will see Stanford.

Box Score
BYU 39 – Tries: Kara 1, Chanel 3, Erin 1 Conversions: Star 4 Penalty: Star 2
Chico 10 – Tries: 1 Conversion: Fly 1 Penalty: Fly 1