Wheeling University Women’s Rugby is the new National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) Division I 15s National Championship titleholder. The Cardinals beat Southern Nazarene University 58-17 inside Houston SaberCats Stadium on Saturday night, capping its first season with an undefeated record and first-place trophy.
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Both teams could hit hard, run fast, and bring the energy, but Wheeling did a better job of knitting those attributes into a complete team game. Led by team captain Ema Tai, who earned the Cardinals’ Heart and Soul Award, Wheeling was able to connect phases and build scoring opportunities. The team was also opportunistic on attack, with flyhalf Bella Gullatta being the primary asset there, and backed itself with a stout defense. Championship MVP and No. 8 Alexis Dallas was an inspiration on both sides of the ball, always setting the tone off the line and with body-folding tackles, and eager to have a go with ball in hand.
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Two minutes in, Southern Nazarene had a player in the bin (dangerous tackle), so Gullatta lined up the penalty goal for an early 3-0 lead. Three minutes later, the flyhalf was calling for the tee again. While that attempt sailed wide, the message was clear: Wheeling would punish ill discipline with points. Gullatta’s boot was also a great weapon in open play, whether dropping a deep kick into the unguarded back field, or pushing a grubber through the line for a chase and dot-down.
Dallas and prop Joelle Taylor followed with power drives over the try line, and then the team’s third score was the result of really lovely connections through the backs. Alli Davis weaved through the defense for the dot-down. With Gullatta’s conversions, Wheeling led 24-0 after 25 minutes.
While the Cardinals certainly had all of the momentum, Southern Nazarene wasn’t without its weapons – the perfect description for Telesi Uhatafe. No one had a comparable combination of power, speed, evasiveness and skill, and the team captain scored three tries on the night. The first came after a Maya Hartnett break to the corner, and Uhatafe was in support for the offload back inside. Five minutes later, a back line move off the scrum turned into a 50-meter sprint and try for the center. With approximately 15 minutes left in the game, when it was well decided, Uhatafe went 50 meters again for 15 of the team’s 17 points.
Meanwhile freshmen Tamzin Boyce and Jemmley Rivera scored two tries apiece, and Gullatta chased down her own grubber into the try zone for a thrilling score. To end the game and much to the crowd’s glee, Marissa Hudson stepped in for Gullatta as a penalty kick was called for to end the game. Hudson nailed the three-pointer, sealing a 58-17 national championship win.
For a big core of players with Lander University ties, this season and win was cathartic (read more), and the national championship is a fresh start at Wheeling, where the rugby tradition is strong.
In addition to Dallas named as MVP and Tai as Heart & South, Southern Nazarene named Chloe Durango as its Heart & Soul Award recipient. Durango had come out of the match early with an injury but represented a hub of leadership since day one of the team’s creation.