It was a weekend of firsts for the National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) Women’s All-Star Showcase in Atlanta. Tri-State won the 7s title in its inaugural appearance at all-stars, and the Stripes go down as the first-ever winner of the 15s all-stars. The event as a whole was able to happen due to the logistical maneuverability of the NCR staff, which reformatted to a one-day event to avoid dangerous weather conditions on Sunday. That hustle was met with patience and understanding from participating teams, and the result was a proper celebration of all those involved. [all photos: Jackie Finlan / TRB]

 

“It’s truly been a week,” NCR Women’s Commissioner Alycia Washington said. “Our whole team has been the most incredible, agile, resilient group of professionals in rugby. I sent the e-mails, and there was never an, ‘Are you kidding me?’ sort of moment. It was straight to, ‘O.K., this is our next list of A, B, C, D contingencies, and this is what we think will work best.'”

The all-star 7s tournament adjusted multiple times to account for the shift to a one-day competition and then to two teams (South Atlantic and Mid-America) dropping out for travel concerns. Thus, the pool play rounds were eliminated and a Round of 16 kicked off the competition. From there, the eight victors were funneled into the Cup and Plate brackets, and the losers played through the Bowl and Shield brackets. See full 7s scores, brackets and stats.

 

The 15s competition was a bit easier to adapt, shortening the halves to 20 minutes (from 25) and playing the entirety of the four-team round robin on Saturday. It’s also easier manipulating a first-time event, as norms haven’t been established yet.

“The coaches and the players have responded so well,” Washington effused with appreciation. “They got three different schedules this week, and I never heard a peep. The only question I got was, ‘When will it be published?’ That’s it. It’s such an amazing community, and it’s so heartwarming to see, even with the conditions, that they’re doing their best. Coaches want the best for their players, and want them to show up and show out, and represent themselves and their teams well.”

That empathetic ethos permeated the event. A handful of Mid-America players arrived in Atlanta ahead of the conference’s official withdrawal from the competition, and so the rest of the teams absorbed those individuals.

 

“When conditions are not ideal, then spirit needs to be high,” Washington turned to her own experience. “I remember my first Super Series [with the Eagles]. We were in Utah and when I say, ‘hot,’ I mean our boots were melting. When we were standing for huddles, we would all try and line up on the white lines of the pitch because it was a little bit cooler. When we got water, we were watering our shoes. We had a sip for ourselves and then half the bottle for our feet. And they’d already be dry come the next water break.

“But what I remember is how resilient my teammates were,” she continued. “Our feet were dancing because they were so hot, but we were listening intently to each other. We were giving good feedback. We were being encouraging. And that’s what’s happening here; they’re all rallying behind each other and encouraging each other. That is what rugby is all about.”

 

As for the rugby itself, there was a ton of intrigue heading into game day. With the introduction of all-star 15s teams, how would player pools and profiles shift for conference-based 7s teams? Interestingly, four relatively new conference 7s programs finished in the top-four on Saturday. Tri-State had players from DII and DIII schools, and the first-timer went 4-0 en route to the title. 2026 finalist Mid-Atlantic, also rooted in DII and DIII schools, is in its second year of existence and won the Rising Stars division last year.

The Rising Stars competition was eliminated from the 2026 showcase to make room for the addition of the 15s all-stars. The omission did draw some ire, but as Washington explained, more athletes were actually able to participate with the addition of 15s. Those rosters carried 25 players apiece, and there were still 18 teams originally penciled into the 7s event.

In the third place match, second-year participant Florida beat High Peaks by a conversion. The Rocky Mountain-based team took a year’s hiatus between its debut and 2026 return. Interestingly, none of the top-four teams from 2025 (Lonestar, North Atlantic, Big 10, Allegheny) returned to podium matches in 2026.

 

The 15s round robin was also tough to predict, not only because it was a year-one experiment but also because these teams were not regionally based. The four head coaches drafted their squads from across the country and from all divisions. Read more.

“They did love it, and they chose well,” Washington said of the coaches’ affinity for the draft. “I believe there are around 50 universities represented amongst the 100 players. And they picked from all different divisions, all different schools. They really worked hard to look at all the film that was presented to them to build what are really great teams.

“And really great cultures,” she continued. “You know the type of players that you want to be around. So beyond the stats, beyond the accolades, the coaches selected on culture, and I think they did a really great job because these players, you hear them laughing together and you can’t help but laugh and smile along with them. They’re just loving each other’s company.”

 

Standings determined the 15s champion, and the Nancy Kechner-led Stripes prevailed with a 3-0 record. The Stripes began the day 14-10 win against the Hawks; followed with a 24-12 victory against the Bison; and ended with a 28-12 win against the Stars. See full results, standings, stats.

“This is exactly what I pictured,” Washington said while standing atop the Silverbacks Park stadium bleachers, which overlooked three pitches alive with 7s and 15s. “And I think we can grow from here. Because it’s Year 1 [for me as commissioner], I’m learning a lot – like, a lot, a lot. I just wanted the players to get the best version of rugby that we can offer, and once we get feedback from this tournament, we will definitely have more and better offers from our high performance [programming].”

 

NCR Women’s All-American 15s Head Coach Jamie Frech was the main scout on site. She was identifying talent for the summer domestic tour against international competition. But she was also tracking 7s, as weather did keep some scouts rooted at home. Frech, too, was looking beyond stats. In all-star environments, where players are accustomed to being one of the best players on their home clubs, how do they interact with their new teammates? Are they able to embrace and thrive in new roles? What is their work rate like in an environment where winning and trophies aren’t really the objective?

The NCR Players of the Year are the pinnacle of well rounded rugby players. Originally scheduled for Saturday night at Silverbacks, the Welcome Dinner occurred Friday night at the team hotel. Finalists for each division were determined by an NCR committee, and members reviewed film for all candidates. An anonymous vote was then sent to Washington, who noted that some of the awards came down to 1-2 votes.

 

“They deserve to be acknowledged for how hard they work, for carrying their school name, carrying their team,” Washington said. “I would say most of their degrees should say ‘rugby’ on them. They get a bachelor of magic arts in rugby.”

DI Southern Nazarene’s Telesi Uhatafe, DI-AA Northeastern’s Molly McAlevey, DII Coast Guard’s Kate Boggs and DIII Colorado School of Mines’ Piper Lee took home hardware.

“And it’s also so sweet of them to acknowledge their teammates, too,” Washington continued. “They said, ‘My teammates got me here.’ That is the spirit of women’s rugby and what really makes it such a beautiful game. And it really made me emotional [Friday] night, honestly.”

What’s next for NCR? The spring is officially the championship 7s season, although members are not prohibited from play 15s. The culmination of the season is the CRC 7s on April 24-26 in Boyds, Md. After the school year ends, NCR’s high performance programs will take the lead.

7s ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Mia Blocher | Notre Dame | Sophomore | Big 10

Chloe Coop | Colorado Mesa | Sophomore | High Peaks

Kelly Greenleaf | Towson | Senior | Mid-Atlantic

Tobias Gudinas | New Hampshire | Senior | North Atlantic

Neva Harke | Florida State | Senior | Florida

Piper Lee | Colorado School of Mines | Sophomore | High Peaks

Savanah Lewis | South Florida | Junior | Florida

Juliette Robinson | Georgetown | Sophomore | Mid-Atlantic

Jolene Russo | Northeastern | Junior | Rugby Northeast

Telesi Uhatafe | Southern Nazarene | Junior | Lone Star

Sydney Weiss | Marist | Junior | Tri-State

Leanna Wells | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Junior | Tri-State

15s ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Lauren Anderson | Southern Nazarene | Graduate | Stripes

Sophia Bailey | Vassar | Senior | Hawks

Kourtney Bichotte-Dunner | Northeastern | Senior | Stars

Kaitlyn Boggs | Coast Guard Academy | Senior | Stars

Tamzin Boyce | Wheeling | Senior | Hawks

Kate Delaney | Virginia | Senior | Stripes

Ada Erhart | Ohio State | Junior | Stripes

Riley Erickson | Southern Nazarene | Sophomore | Hawks

Emma Hastings | Northern Iowa | Senior | Stripes

Halle Hill | Minnesota | Graduate | Bison

Morgan Hunt | Howard | Sophomore | Stripes

Milena Keene | Virginia | Senior | Stripes

Tabitha Keith | Iowa | Senior | Stars

Natalie Lamar | St. Bonaventure | Junior | Stars

Danica Luzak | Penn State | Junior | Hawks

Tiara Mason | Purdue | Graduate | Stripes

Molly McAlevey | Northeastern | Senior | Hawks

Lily McGettigan | Brown | First Year | Stars

Palu Sau | Southern Nazarene | First Year | Bison

Zoë Simmons | Michigan | Junior | Stripes

Emma Tai | Wheeling | Senior | Hawks

Carlyan Vigbedor | Norwich | Junior | Stars

Vivianne Wright | Southern Nazarene | Junior | Hawks