Thursday, April 25, 2024

US Rugby Foundation Scholarship Winners 2024

 WGR has a long history of young women earning scholarships from the US Rugby Foundation.  

For 2024, add two more outstanding student-athletes from WGR.  Congrats to Gleason and George!


Kaler Family Rugby Scholarship

Michaela Gleason

Michaela Gleason’s love for rugby is simple, like father, like daughter. Some of her earliest childhood memories are alongside the pitch watching her father play. When she turned eight, it was finally her turn to lace up her boots. Now a decade later, Michaela has played for a variety of teams over the years, including the Appleton Area Dragons Youth Rugby Club, the Mad-Town Furies, the Panther Rugby Club, the Badger Selects Rugby Academy, and the Wisconsin Girls All-Star team. Michaela’s rugby IQ paralleled her accomplishments in the classroom, having graduated from Tigerton High School in Tigerton, Wisconsin with a 3.7 GPA. She will continue her academic and rugby career at Northern Michigan University playing for the NorthStars and majoring in fisheries and wildlife management. With a love for nature and outdoors, Michaela is driven to protect and conserve the natural beauty of wildlife for generations to come. She is also the youngest referee in Wisconsin having reffed a match during her senior year of high school.


More on Gleason here



KEVIN HIGGINS SCHOLARSHIP WINNER

Olivia George

While experiences in other athletic atmospheres led Olivia George to feel judged and discriminated against, the rugby pitch welcomed her with open arms. One practice was all it took for Olivia to find her passion. She played for the Hamilton Rugby Football Club where she served as team captain and helped lead the team to a state championship appearance. She was also awarded scholar athlete and MVP honors. She was invited to play for the Midwest All-Stars in 2020 and earned a USA Rugby East Camp invite in 2023. Olivia will attend the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse where she will study business. 


More on George here.

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