College athletic departments are catching on, and Saturday saw the latest university-supported women’s rugby team take the field. Grand Canyon University in Phoenix not only has 33 active players, an internationally tested coaching staff and elevated club status, but the team’s first-ever league game doubled as its first league win. [Lead photo: J. Dalton Photography; below photos: Gabriela Lim]
Grand Canyon added a men’s rugby program in 2014, and interest for a women’s program began to germinate. Students with high school rugby experience started holding informal touch/skills sessions and inquiring about an intramural program. Former USA 7s Eagles and Phoenix locals Alison Price and Daniela Mogro started communicating with the athletics department and expressed their interest to be involved in a potential women’s program.
In fall 2016, women’s rugby was added as a club sport, which Grand Canyon treats like a pseudo-varsity program. It’s managed by the university and includes perks like access to top-notch facilities and trainers (read about “GCU 10 in 2,” a huge investment in athletics), a uniquely structured scholarship program (GCU men’s rugby explains), a rugby-lined pitch, travel support, and more. There’s also an on-campus hotel for visiting teams.
Price and Mogro were joined on the coaching staff by Greg Lim and Kathryn Wright, and the team assembled in September 2016. The Lopes played friendlies against Northern Arizona, Arizona State and the University of Arizona in the fall, but saw no one from California, where its DII Gold Coast conference competitors call home.
Grand Canyon ventured into the unknown on Jan. 28, as it hosted UC Riverside in the conference opener, and ended the day with a 27-15 victory.
“Just not knowing what to expect, we were certainly pleased with the win,” Price said. “Because it was our first game, there were some nerves and you saw that in the first half. After we settled into it, we performed better. … We took it as a first step. We have a lot more to learn and grow upon, but I was pleased with the performance.”
Those student-athletes who held touch sessions in spring 2016, they’re mostly rooted in the forwards, and they provided a level of consistency on the day, especially in the scrums. Jasmine Fifer scored a hat trick to lead on the scoreboard, while a bevy of new players emerged onto the scene. Even so, it’s a little too early for Price to be singling out players and leaders, since everyone is absorbing as much as possible and focused on improvement.
“The girls are all just very eager to play the sport and eager to learn,” the coach said. “Across the board the whole team has really bought in and is ready to work hard. … There isn’t one single person that I would necessarily call out. I see growth in each person weekly, and that’s really promising as a coach.”
So while it was certainly a bonus that Grand Canyon initiated its first league season with a win, the program is focused on setting a good foundation that will promote growth into the future. That growth would embody recruitment, which is already underway and can accommodate interested high schoolers on campus; additional competitive sides; and maybe varsity status one day, depending on the university’s plans for rugby.
For now, Grand Canyon’s only looking one game ahead – Saturday’s match against USC. But with university backing, invested coaching and an eager founding class, the Lopes’ first steps should build into a gallop in no time.
For more information on the Gold Coast conference, click here.
Learn more about Grand Canyon women’s rugby here.