Women’s Rugby Spring Kickoff
After making it to the Championships in the Fall, Stonehill College Women’s Rugby is back for the spring season. The team will have their first tournament, with eight other teams, this Saturday, Feb. 20 at Bryant University.
The spring season will place the Skyhawk’s against other club rugby teams such as MIT, Holy Cross, Providence College, UMass Lowell, and UNH. Stonehill is set to play in four tournaments this Spring, two of which will be hosted at home.
Last spring season the team won the Rugby New England (RNE) 7’s league, then went on the place fifth at the American Collegiate Rugby Association (ACRA) national tournament. The Skyhawk’s with a lot of new faces to the team this year will be looking to defend their title at the RNE game.
“I joined the women’s rugby team because I wanted to be in a team that trusts each other and hangs out not only on the field but also outside the field. I feel like the women’s rugby team is my small community,” said freshman Wafae Elarar.
The tournament on Saturday will show the team where they stand against a lot of the competition for the season. While the fall places them against similar teams, the spring season throws many more into the mix. In rugby the spring season is like a whole new game, changing the amount of players on the field from fifteen to seven. The much faster pace requires a lot of strategy adjustment.
“We’re really excited to start our spring season, especially given that we had such a successful 2017 spring season. We have a great mix of experienced veterans and new members that will add energy to the team. We plan on continuing the momentum we had from our successful fall season and building,” said senior Kaleigh Gilliand, co-captain.
Stonehill will start the night off against UMass Lowell, next playing Babson, and then Endicott. A winner’s pool will be created to decide the later games.
Be sure to keep your schedules open to cheer on the team, and watch the most intense sport on campus, April 16 and April 22 for the two home tournaments!