Kat Scheerer / Photos: Carley Going
The South’s participation in the National Small College Rugby Organization (NSCRO) is still limited, but the upcoming all-star 7s championship is providing a next-level option for eligible schools and their driven players. Eckerd College’s Mike Geibel is serving as the South’s NSCRO Women’s 7s All-Star coach, and he’s hoping the fixture will serve as a springboard to more growth.
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“For the future, I’m definitely hoping the NSCRO South becomes a larger program both in 7s and 15s,” Geibel stated. “As more women’s teams come on board and join NSCRO, there will be a larger pool of talented players who may not get an opportunity for visibility and selection to other high-level sides. There is some incredible talent at small schools, and I think it is our goal and our job to find it, showcase it on a bigger stage, and advocate for those players.”
The player pool was essentially limited to Lee University (Tenn.) and Eckerd College (Fla.), as new programs St. Andrews University (N.C.) and Ave Maria University (Fla.) wanted more experience for their athletes before sampling the all-star level. Lee is a perennial title contender and lost a four-point heartbreaker to York College during this fall’s national 15s quarterfinals. Lee 7s coach Chris Martin is also the USA Rugby South Women’s Director and head coach, and he’ll be searching the collegiate ranks for Panthers additions this upcoming cycle.
Ally Gallagher / Photo: Carley Going
Eckerd is NSCRO eligible, but plays its 15s in the DII Florida league, which has played a few matrix matches late this year.
“Eckerd has never had a 7s program previously other than joining a local club team over the summer,” Geibel explained. “Within the state of Florida there isn’t much 7s for colleges at all during the school year, so we joined NSCRO for the 7s competition this year and are looking at feasibility for making it a permanent thing.”
Geibel used coach recommendations and video to select the 14 players – eight from Eckerd, six from Lee. Twelve of those players will be in St. Petersburg, Fla., for the mid-January event, and Geibel asserted that there is plenty of talent within the group.
Players like Hailey Thompson and Shae Ferguson have represented the NSCRO All-Stars at the Las Vegas Invitational (LVI) and USA Sevens CRC. Fellow Lee teammate Lauren Judkins, who will serve as co-captain in St. Petersburg, has played with the Scion Rugby Academy at the LVI and USA Rugby South at RAN 10s. Eckerd high-scorer Kat Scheerer has played with the Phoenix Selects in Barbados and was on the Women’s Junior All-American radar. Scheerer scored four tries in Eckerd’s first 15s matrix match of the season (49-5 win over Florida Gulf Coast).
“Our other co-captain, Ally Gallagher, has played 7s with Tampa Krewe the last few summers and was on the gold medal RAN10s team in 2016,” Geibel praised the senior, who scored two tries against Florida Gulf Coast. “Ally is a strong forward presence with an incredible work rate. Last year she made 53% of our tackles in our 15s season, which is a mind-blowing number. She’s also gotten more fit every season and is very strong with ball in hand.”
The coach is excited to see how Stephie Franz translates on the 7s pitch, and she’ll be another speedy weapon alongside Ferguson, “who can absolutely fly.” Franz has been in contact with the Jamaican national team, and Eckerd is currently helping her to enter that player pool.
Heidi Small / Photo: Carley Going
“The lone freshman on the roster, Macie Sherburne, is very athletic and aggressive, and as she gets more experience she is going to be one to watch down the road,” Geibel added. “We’ve got a very strong side I think. The hardest part will be forming that cohesive unit for the tournament when we won’t have much training time together at all.”
Fortunately, Geibel will have the help of Mary Warbel (Eckerd), Kelsey Brachna (Eckerd) and Chris Martin (Lee, technical advisor) to expedite that gelling process.
The event is being held in Eckerd College’s backyard, which has also been a popular destination for teams like the Midwest Thunderbirds on winter tour. This exposure can only aid Geibel’s goals of more next-level play.
“Eventually, I want to form a select side of my own to take to other tournaments and fixtures, and I think the coaches and players and administrators I’ve met through this process will be a great help in the future,” the coach concluded.
In the meantime, Geibel and team continue to find support where they can. They have a GoFundMe campaign to help the collegians’ expenses, and got their kit sponsored by Dex Imaging, a local Tampa Bay company.
For more information on the NSCRO 7s All-Star Championship, visit www.nscro.org.
NSCRO South All-Star 7s Team
Shania Bolen – Eckerd, soph
Shae Ferguson – Lee, junior
Allyson Frank – Lee, soph
Stephie Franz – Eckerd, soph
+ Ally Gallagher – Eckerd, senior
^ Danielle Gleason – Eckerd, senior
+ Lauren Judkins – Lee, senior
^ Nikolah Kershisnik – Eckerd, soph
Kelsey Martin – Lee, junior
Hannah Scudder – Lee, soph
Kat Scheerer – Eckerd, junior
Macie Sherburne – Eckerd, freshman
Heidi Small – Eckerd, soph
Hailey Thompson – Lee, senior
+ co-captains
^ selected but cannot attend