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Empire and Capital women’s select teams play each other for the first time this Saturday. •
The Empire senior all-star team will play its second 15s match in less than a month when it hosts the Capital All-Stars at Rutgers University Saturday. As previously reported, senior all-star programs are gaining in popularity as regions aim to fill a competitive gap between the club and national levels. They also provide higher-level playing opportunities for athletes who are geographically isolated from the union’s top teams.
“We’ve been working on this project for about three years,” said Pat Moroney, Empire GU High Performance Director. “It started with the men because there was some traction there – we had touring teams coming in to play us. This year we really wanted to kick it forward. We have a budget for men’s and women’s select sides, and both HP programs are funded equally.”
There has been some trial and error in finding the all-stars’ place between a long 15s season and quick-starting 7s season, and player welfare and availability will be important topics during the program’s six-month review. Moroney is considering more combines at more locations and open practices, for example, so have players can work around packed schedules. The women have been able to play in the summer, and the men are looking at a December fixture and February’s Ft. Lauderdale Ruggerfest.
All of these opportunities – in the Empire, Capital and beyond – are results of individual unions being proactive in addressing their respective regions’ needs.
“Having seen the way USA Rugby is growing and knowing their limitations as an organization, it’s important for local administrators to take the lead at times and not wait for things to come down from Colorado,” Moroney said. “In talking to [USA Rugby Youth & HS Director Kurt] Weaver – I’m involved in youth rugby as well – they realized quite a while ago that there were a lot of rugby people frustrated because USA Rugby wasn’t providing them with solutions to their problems. [USA Rugby Club Manager Erik] Geib and Weaver are much more about facilitating initiative at the local level and then spreading it if it works.
“Take youth fall 7s for example,” Moroney continued. “USA Rugby has not supported youth fall 7s because they don’t think it fits into their calendar. But you just have to prove that something works. You might disagree with USA Rugby, but they don’t have a problem with you trying something, and if it doesn’t work, then you move on.”
As for Saturday, the Capital All-Stars boast much more experience and are captained by D.C. Furies’ Maggie Olney. The game will be well controlled by the 8-9-10 combo of capped Eagle Sara Parsons, and former All-Americans Bri Kim and Chelsea Garber in the halfback positions. Empire draws the majority of its players from the DI/II hybrid league, and also includes several college and DIII club players.
“We will have a slight structural disadvantage, but this is what we decided to do, and as the program develops that gap will close,” Moroney said.
Looking ahead, Moroney would like to see a Northeast Cup evolve, where the Empire all-stars play a Northeast select side for a trophy. And then of course, finding the right spot for a national GU championship would be the ultimate addition to the schedule.
Empire All-Stars
1 Jennifer Jones – Monmouth
2 Sian Parker – Rutgers
3 Catie Goldstein – Rutgers
4 Diana Valencia – Monmouth
5 Nicole Carroll – Monmouth
6 Tara Harten – Village Lions
7 Fedora Francois – Brooklyn
8 Kathryn Hussey (c) – Monmouth
9 Rebecca Musumeci – Monmouth
10 Emmarie Etheridge – Village Lions
11 Ashley Allen – Rutgers
12 Melanie Marotta – Marist
13 Leah Berry – Monmouth
14 Amanda Fins – Union
15 Ciara Lehane – Village Lions
Reserves
Angie Tornetto – Union
Felicia Vargas – Monmouth
Alex Rumsey – Monmouth
Leah Smeltzer – Rochester
Maverick Perez – Union
Mara Friedman – Rutgers
Brenda Doctor – Notre Dame
Mariana Fleming – Monmouth
Erin Arroyo – Monmouth
Capital All-Stars
1 Sarah Romano – NOVA2 Jillian Erin – Severn River3 Nichola Aregano Diaz – Norfolk 4 Avery Rain – NOVA5 Rian Van Nordheim – James River6 Lucia Martino – DC Furies7 Kayla Thompson – Raleigh 8 Sara Parsons – Scion Academy
9 Brianna Kim – NOVA10 Chelsea Garber – Raleigh 11 Kristen Maxey – DC Furies12 Maggie Olney (c) – DC Furies13 Megan Gilmore – Norfolk/Scion (vc)14 Masha Romanchak – Severn River15 Sarah Rosche – Raleigh
Reserves
Carol Ann Trammell – Raleigh Meg Foster – DC FuriesLyn Meyerhoff – Chesapeake Kate Todorovich – Severn River Dana Briosos – Scion Academy Jazz Harrison – Severn RiverClaire Angela Cole – DC FuriesCharlee Bryan – Severn RiverKatie Marshall – Severn RiverLeni Dworkis – DC Furies
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