On Saturday, March 30 the CWU women’s rugby season came to an end when they played the Life University Running Eagles. The game ended with a 3-28 score, which caused them to fall out of the semifinal round of the USA Rugby D1 Elite Playoffs. CWU’s three points were scored by senior fullback Kai Brandt-Templeton who was able to score a penalty kick in the 10th minute. The men’s team ended in a similar match when they lost to Brigham Young University (BYU) 24-40 in the D1A playoffs quarterfinals.
“I’m just very proud of this group and at the end of the day, I’m very thankful,” CWU women’s rugby head coach Matt Ramirez said, according to cwuathletics.com. “We had our battles in the lead up to the contest, but there weren’t any excuses. They just went to work. We had to have some younger players step up for us, and that bodes well for the future.”
The Wildcats ended the season with a final record of 4-5. Their most striking win was back in November against Boise State University (BSU) when CWU took total control of the game with a 103-0 final score.
“I believe the team’s biggest weakness this season was probably maintaining the same mindset throughout the whole game,” junior forward Winnie Namosimala said. “Having 22 other teammates playing alongside me maintaining the same drive for a full 80 is pretty difficult. Let alone a number of players slowly began to drop, being held together by tape and glue.”
Throughout the years these women have been relentless in making the playoffs, but every year there is another obstacle thrown at them. The team’s atmosphere however is what gives them the perseverance to keep going. “I believe this culture we pride ourselves in on this team is one of the biggest weapons we have against any other team. I can only imagine how great this program will be in the future years as the culture continues to grow,” Namosimala stated.
Earlier in the season the Wildcats were able to honor their seniors with a win against BYU and a final score of 22-20. Among those seniors was captain of the rugby team Tessa Hann. Hann is one of the finalists for the MA Sorensen Award, which recognizes the best women’s collegiate player in the country.
The award was named after World Cup winner MA Sorensen, a trailblazer in the sport as a player, coach and physician. Last season, Keia Mae Sagapolu Sanele, a former teammate of Hann’s at CWU, became the first Wildcat to win the award. She currently plays professionally in England.
CWU will take the field next on Friday, May 3 for The College Rugby Association of America USA Rugby College Women’s Premier 7’s National Championship.
