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All-Stars All Smiles in Atlanta

  • 27 Jan 2025
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MARC rugby 7s

The National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) Women’s All-Star 7s Tournament welcomed 22 sides to Silverback Park this past weekend, and while two teams raised trophies and were named champions, there were many victories worth celebrating in Atlanta, Ga.

RELATED: Read the preview

But first, the rugby. Lone Star won its third All-Star Division with a 29-12 title win against North Atlantic. The team, which involved players and coaches from Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana schools, accomplished the feat with a 6-0 record and a penchant for drama. On several occasions, the opposition scored first or held the lead — a testament to the competitiveness of the field — and then Lone Star would ignite for some thrilling performances. Standouts included wing Madeleine Kirkley and championship MVP Leah Lockerman, both of whom had excellent finishing speed and skills. All-Tournament Lo Anderson and 2024 championship MVP Telesi Uhatafe also had big scoring power. On defense, Uhatafe was so key key, intimidating with big hits and getting over the ball so fast. Knitting it all together were captains Bella Rankin (interview) and Ari Gieseck, who have played a lot of ball in the light blue kit.

Lone Star rugby 7s

See more photos at @therugbybreakdown

The North Atlantic is a new conference and thus new to NCR All-Stars. It is the result of a merger between the former New England Wide and Colonial Coast conferences, and it has no DI members. In fact, the All-Star Division side included six DII players (Coast Guard is DIII eligible with its enrollment), and six DIII players — a ringing endorsement that there is talent at all levels. The North Atlantic’s Rising Stars side finished fourth out of 12 teams, too.

The Big 10 finished third overall, defeating Allegheny 21-12 in the teams’ final match, and Notre Dame’s Mia Blocher was the only first-year (FY) named to the all-tournament team.

ALL-STARS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Player | Home Team | Grade | Conference
• Lauren Anderson | Southern Nazarene | Grad | Lone Star
• Kourtney Bichotte-Dunner | Northeastern | Sr | Rugby Northeast
• Mia Blocher | Notre Dame | FY | Big 10
• Kaitlyn Boggs | Coast Guard | Jr | North Atlantic
• Elizabeth Breiby | New Hampshire | Jr | North Atlantic
• Loren Henich | Illinois-Chicago | Sr | Great Waters
• Dahlia Hill | Ohio University | Sr | Allegheny
• Emma Jaramillo | Central Florida | Soph | Florida
• Morgan Linck | Northern Iowa | Jr | Midwest
• Leah Lockerman | Texas Tech | Sr | Lone Star
• Kaia Lyons | James Madison | Soph | South Atlantic
• Camille Wilt | Syracuse | Sr | Upstate NY

MARC rugby

MARC scrumhalf Robinson, a first-year

The Mid-Atlantic won its first-ever NCR all-stars 7s trophy in topping the Rising Stars Division (and NCR Women’s Commissioner Angela Smarto called it in the preview). The group fell in line behind coaches Andrew Higgs of Christopher Newport and former USA 7s Eagle Deven O’Crump of Georgetown, and got a leading performance out of captain and flyhalf Kelly Greenleaf, who was named championship MVP. The team won its first three matches 117-10, and that included a 33-5 win against Great Waters. The two reunited in the semifinals, and Ella Ericksen, who ended the tournament with nine tries, put Great Waters up early with a breakaway score. MARC regrouped and put Juliette Robinson, Greenleaf and Evelyn Blackman away for tries, and eventually led 24-7. Great Waters made it interesting, as Molly Mannor and Taylor Brink scored, but ultimately ran out of time in the 24-19 decision. Great Waters went on to finish third after beating North Atlantic 25-12.

EPRU rugby's Lindsay Foster

X factor for EPRU, Lindsay Foster

That experience sharpened Mid-Atlantic for the final, where Eastern Pennsylvania awaited. EPRU has featured in the last-four finals, winning in 2022 and 2023. It took five minutes for the scoreboard to tick over, but once it did, MARC dotted down four tries before EPRU put up points. Syd Worthington scored two big tries, while electric scrumhalf Robinson and Morgan Raun out of Johns Hopkins added five points apiece. Greenleaf handled the conversions. EPRU got leading performances out of Lindsay Foster, who scored one of the most memorable tries (a chip-and-chase along the sideline) earlier in the tournament, and then also accounted for the team’s lone try, 24-5 the final. Ros Page was again notable, just a hard-hitting presence on defense, solid ball-carrying, and an excellent dropkick.

RISING STARS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Player | Home Team | Grade | Conference
• Erin Anderson | SUNY Cortland | Jr | Upstate NY
• Jaidyn Bowen | York College | Sr | Eastern Penn
• Molly Cancian | Baldwin Wallace | Grad | Ohio Valley
• Ella Ericksen | Northern Michigan | Jr | Great Waters
• Leila Gerry | Colby College | Soph | Rugby Northeast
• Kelly Greenleaf | Towson | Jr | Mid-Atlantic
• Estela Miranda-Aguilar | Western Oregon | Sr | Cascade
• Colleen Mitchell | Endicott College | Soph | North Atlantic
• Leah Ozersky | Arkansas | Sr | Mid-America
• Rosalyn Page | Marywood | Sr | Eastern Penn
• Juliette Robinson | Georgetown | FY | Mid-Atlantic
• Maurina Street | South Dakota | Soph | Prairie States

NCR rugby refs

Referee team for the Rising Stars final

There were so many notable performances in Atlanta — from first-timers like Florida, who impressed in their debut, and whose coaches, Jen Fasano and Ashford Evans-Brown, noted that players from back home were already reaching out for future opportunities; to teams like Mid-America, which showed notable improvement after building experience in returners; to Cascades, a conference that has not participated in all-stars since NSCRO became NCR and represented the Pacific Northwest with pride.

And Silverbacks Park was such a great venue in which to showcase all of the talent. It has a great setup, with one of the grandstands is between the two game pitches. The seats face the stadium, but a walk to the top of stairs offered an unobstructed and overhead view of field 2. There’s a bar and kitchen just outside the try zone of the stadium pitch, with plenty of picnic benches and freestanding heaters to stay comfortable.

Silverbacks rugby park

The elevated offices also provide a nice view of the stadium pitch, and that’s where new NCR Women’s High Performance (HP) Manager Jamie Frech and Ros Chou, head coach for the NCR HP 7s tour to Portugal this summer, anchored themselves for the weekend. They were scouting for 7s and 15s talent to take on their summer tours to Algarve 7s and England for the Rugby World Cup. These are first-year programs, so the understanding is just start to build within the player and coaching ranks, but Frech is accepting and reviewing submissions currently.

For those who couldn’t be present in Atlanta, a top-notch cast of commentators called the game for The Rugby Network: John Broker, Darian Lovelace, Abby Gustaitis and Alycia Washington. Gustaitis and Washington also attended the team dinner on Saturday evening at the facility, explaining the ever-growing rugby opportunities that exist after college. To that point, Women’s Elite Rugby (WER) Player Liaison Ari Ray and USWRF President Danita Knox were also on the grounds spreading the good word.

Great Waters rugby

Great Waters #14 = Jordan Kamenz

From a reporting point of view, the numbers on the front of the jerseys were a nice touch. They matched with the online rosters, which linked to continually updated stats, which were entered for every game. The online reporting system that NCR maintains is incredibly useful and really worth exploring. A great resource that is hard to find these days. And it’s just one example that connotes genuine care. The Florida coaches picked up on it. They’re newer to the NCR setup but both felt a level of consideration and respect that had eluded them elsewhere. NCR invests in women’s rugby (that’s how TRB is able to attend these events in person!) and people notice.

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The Rugby Breakdown (TRB) covers girls and women's rugby in the U.S. JACKIE FINLAN is the sole employee creating content and the paid subscription base supports this full-time enterprise. For $5/month (or $60/year), subscribers access features covering the USA Eagles, senior clubs, colleges, high schools, and everything in between. TRB prides itself on original, interview-based articles that showcase the people driving this great sport in the U.S.

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