Thunderbird returner Ester Lachens during the 2015 tour to Wales/England. •
The Midwest U24 Thunderbirds are heading to the 43rd annual Can-Am Rugby Tournament in Saranac Lake, N.Y. The all-star program is, today, one of a kind and still tours overseas. It also pairs nicely with its U19 counterpart (which just concluded camp in Ohio – read more). In the women’s game, no region has retained a healthy all-star program quite like the Midwest.
There’s no mystery as to why the Thunderbirds exist.
“The goal for the team is to provide opportunities for the best the Midwest has to play together and at a higher level, to see different competition and what a tour feels like,” Midwest U24 head coach Jeff Noe explained.
The key, however, is having dedicated personnel invested in a program’s longevity. For example, Noe selected the majority of his team from the U24 Local Area Union (LAU) tournament that occurred in April. It’s a hugely valuable event that brings state all-star teams together and also funnels into the Thunderbirds. This year, Ohio beat out teams from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois for the Midwest title (read more).
“Several people still value and put tons of time and effort into it … Roger Riley and Gray Zischke especially, as well as the coaches and staff from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and Ohio that organized teams that made the commitment,” Noe praised the LAU tournament.
Forty-one players were then invited to the Midwest tryout in May, and 21 were named to the Can-Am roster. There were actually more players selected, but the Lake Placid-area tournament conflicts with this weekend’s Midwest Club 7s Championship, and some elected to play competitive 7s.
The team arrives in New York Thursday night, and Noe will lean on Kent State and Ohio U24 coach Jeff Horton to help prep the team for competition. Catholic Memorial assistant coach Alex Glorioso, who is also with the Wisconsin all-stars, will serve as manager.
“I’m excited to get them together and see what they are capable of,” Noe concluded.
The Can-Am schedule has not been released, but as of July 25, 36 women’s club teams were registered.
MIDWEST U24 THUNDERBIRDS • Saranac Lake, N.Y.
Megan Ahnen – Michigan Tech (Minn.)
Marcaya Bailous – Notre Dame College (Ohio)
Elizabeth Bain – St. Cloud State (Minn.)
Lachen Esters – Winona State University (Minn.)
Patsy Ford – Glendale (Colo.)
Sarah Giachetti – Kent (Ohio)
Hannah Long – Notre Dame College (Ohio)
Lauren McCormack – Wisconsin Women (Wisc.)
MaryKate McNulty – Denison University (Ohio)
Averie Mitchell-Brown – UM Twin Cities (Minn.)
Stephanie Morande – UM Twin Cities (Minn.)
Hunter Moreland – Davenport University (Mich.)
Betty Nguyen – Chicago North Shore (Ill.)
Katrina Nunes – UW River Falls (Wisc.)
Cassie Schultz – Winona State University (Minn.)
Ashley Shaw – Wisconsin Women (Wisc.)
Hannah Tennant – Davenport University (Mich.)
Marissa Westaby – UW Stout (Wisc.)
Brittany White – Minnesota Valkyries (Minn.)
Samantha Wilcox – Winona State University (Minn.)
Mariah Young – Des Moines Women (Iowa)
Jeff Noe – Head Coach
Jeff Horton – Assistant Coach
Brianna Woodworth – Head Athletic Trainer
Erica Marsters – Athletic Trainer
Alex Glorioso – Manager
