Photos: Meredith Nelson / Mean Photography
Virginia Women’s Rugby (UVA) is undefeated in DI Mason-Dixon and no one is more surprised than head coach Nancy Kechner. After graduating nine starters and two important subs, there weren’t title-contending expectations for this season. But the team got some good rookies, gelling well, and will once again return to the DI Spring Round of 16.
“We’re not super talented or super deep, we’re just playing really well,” Kechner said of the 7-0 team. “We’re playing beyond expectations. They’re just a nice group of kids who play hard and get into the game.”
The team’s vibe has also inspired its coach, who was named USA Rugby Female Coach of the Year for 2017.
“I’m sort of rejuvenated for coaching,” Kechner said after 20 years with UVA. “We graduated some particular personalities that made coaching stressful and now I’m back to enjoying it – having them over, making dinner for the kids. They’re mentoring each other and it’s great.”
Stalwarts like Hannah Turley is back. The Hong Kong native was supposed to serve as captain in the fall but struggled with an ankle injury.
“She’s just a talker, and her rugby IQ is huge,” Kechner said of the lock/loose forward. “She’s just slippery. It’s like trying to tackle a tornado the way she just keeps her feet moving.
“Heather Thompson is the glue of our forwards … and she’s going to be the first female president [of the United States],” the coach said of the team president and captain, who graduated as a third-year and is currently in grad school. She worked, held a 4.0, ran a rugby team, and is driven beyond belief. “She taught herself Hindi. Who does that!?”
Cary Wingo was able to extend her collegiate rugby career. She graduated last year but is now in grad school for engineering and squeezing in one more semester of UVA rugby. Returner Hannah Kirk Nass has moved from fullback to flyhalf and is doing well. And Emily Battle and Anna Thillairajah have made big contributions this season.
“Zoe Schmidt graduated last year, and she was one of a series of really great inside centers we’ve had. Let’s hope the rugby gods throw an inside center our way,” Kechner mused. “Lo and behold, Moriah [Hairston] came. She’s been phenomenal.”
There are two important players who are registered but most likely won’t make an appearance this 15s season: Senior Summer Jones Harris has struggled with fractures, and when she graduates, she’ll head to Life University. Flyer Joy Jefferson is a fifth-year with a very demanding academic schedule and will likely only appear in 7s, “her baby.”
There are approximately 25 players on the roster, and the team found its footing in a new competition, as the Mason Dixon dissolved the regional pools. Everybody plays everybody, and regional playoff reps will be named on standings. Next year, Queens University of Charlotte will be join the league for at least a year, and the North and South pools structure might return.
“League may be down a little bit this year,” Kechner reviewed the matrix matches thus far. “The Pitt game was good, they’re playing well. Virginia Tech was a phenomenal game, because that’s a huge rivalry for us. We haven’t lost to them in 18 years. The kids get up for that game. Tech has great tacklers, they run hard, and is cohesive and fit. They graduated a bunch of starters, too, and this year they’re losing their coach, Dani Barlow, who has done a really good job with them.”
UVA knows that East Carolina is its destination for the DI Spring Round of 16/8, which occurs April 20-22, and that will save the club on travel expenses. Kechner indicated that the conference would get 3-5 seeds into the post-season, considering Florida could only produce one team last year, and Notre Dame College competes in NIRA now. The rest of the DI spring teams are out west, and each of the four pools should include one DI Elite team.
The location of the spring college championships has not yet been announced, but the games will occur May 4-5. In the meantime, UVA will play its final matrix match against James Madison, send its B side to D.C. Ruggerfest, and play James River women to warm up for the April 20-22 playoffs.