WGR Historical Record of Varsity Collegiate Commitments

Listed below are the Wisconsin Girls Rugby (WGR) alumni who officially signed to compete collegiately at a varsity women's program.  

Varsity commits alone aren't a total reflection of the WGR contributions to collegiate and womens rugby.  There have been dozens and dozens of alumni who have gone on to play for collegiate club teams who are not included in this list.  Alumni have gone on to play for programs like Penn St, Winona St, Ohio St and UNI as well as programs throughout the UW system just to name a few.  

Of special note is Genevieve Rusch (DSHA 2016).  A heavily recruited scrumhalf, she choose to travel oversees for college and rugby at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, where she is a captain and student to this day.  

Eastern Illinois University began the first varsity women's collegiate program in the late 90's with the goal of following NCAA rules and growing the game through college funding and structures.  It took some years for that path to gain traction.  Two Eastern alumni moved on to coach their own NCAA programs; Becky Carlson (Quinnipiac) and Michelle Reed (Sacred Heart).  Sadly, under a change in athletic directors and policy, the Eastern Illinois program was defunded and eventually disbanded, although their groundbreaking efforts under Head Coach Frank Graziano continue to have lasting affects on womens rugby in America.

One branch from this varsity rugby tree is DSHA's Lindey Wise (2013).   After a playing career at Quinnipiac, she moved on to be an asst. coach at Sacred Heart and now NCAA LIU-Post for the 2020-2021 season.

WGR Class of 2021

Aly Cunningham   Catholic Memorial HS                   Sacred Heart         (NCAA NIRA D1)

Maggie Dineen      Divine Savior Holy Angels HS      Queens                 (NCAA NIRA D2)

Emme Ohnmacht   Catholic Memorial HS                   Brown                   (NCAA NIRA D1)

Lea Preuss              Brookfield                                      Queens                  (NCAA NIRA D2)

Lexi Scott              Pulaski HS                                       Lindenwood         (USAR D1 Elite)

Ellie Villnow          Stevens Point Area HS                   Lindenwood         (USAR D1 Elite)

WGR Class of 2020:

Haley Crow             Catholic Memorial HS                 Quinnipiac University      (NCAA NIRA D1)

Alexis Haskins        Catholic Memorial HS                 Quinnipiac University      (NCAA NIRA D1)

Bella Huschitt         Divine Savior Holy Angels HS    Dartmouth University      (NCAA NIRA D1)

Abby Kayser           Divine Savior Holy Angels HS    Dartmouth University      (NCAA NIRA D1)

Gwen Knutson        Brookfield                                    Queens University          (NCAA NIRA D2)

Hannah Pfersch       Hamilton HS                                Quinnipiac University    (NCAA NIRA D1)

Angelina Pieters      Catholic Memorial HS                 Lindenwood University   (USAR  D1 Elite)

WGR Class of 2019

Jenna Klenz                     DSHA                                    Queens

Chanel Lubsey                 Brookfield                             LIU-Post

Makinzie Youngblood     DSHA HS                              Sacred Heart

Stephanie Wilson            CMHS                                    Sacred Heart 

WGR Class of 2018

Madison Black              CMHS                                      U.S. Naval Academy

Allison Koenig              CMHS                                      Quinnipiac

Emily Morris                 Pulaski                                     Lindenwood

WGR Class of 2017

Megan Bird                  Oak Creek                                 Davenport 

Emma Conrad               Fond Du Lac                            Lindenwood

Alyanna Primer             Brookfield                                Lindenwood

Erin Wright                   CMHS                                      Harvard 

WGR Class of 2016

Kelsey Gustafson          CMHS                                      Sacred Heart

Lizzy Walicki               CMHS                                      West Chester U

WGR Class of 2015

Reina Anderson             Brookfield                                Lindenwood

Taylor Bragg Brock       DSHA                                      Lindenwood

Courtney Crouse           Kettle Moraine                          Lindenwood

Lexi Prusheik                Vernon                                     Lindenwood

WGR Class of 2014

Julie Else                      CMHS                                      Norwich U

Rebecca Haight             CMHS                                      Quinnipiac

Maggie Wesolowski      CMHS                                      Quinnipiac

WGR Class of 2013

Lindey Wise                 DSHA                                      Quinnipiac

WGR Class of 2001

Amy Lalko                   DSHA                                      Eastern Illinois

WGR Class of 2000

Katie Plant                    DSHA                                      Eastern Illinois

Allison Urbanski           DSHA                                      Eastern Illinois

WGR Class of 1998

Erin Voelz                    DSHA                                      Eastern Illinois

 

2021 Girls High School Rugby National Tournament (Nationals)

 The NGCC continues to work on planning the 2021 Girls high school rugby national tournament.

The event would be the traditional third weekend of May, May 15th and 16th, 2021.  Games are played on Saturday and Sunday and feature teams that draw from one community.  The event is often referred to as "single-school" nationals, to differentiate from the club tournament that operates under different eligibility standards.  

Organizers are currently unable to confirm or officially announce the location of the event given concerns surrounding the pandemic.  The frontrunner host remains Notre Dame College in Ohio.

Stay tuned for an official announcement on the event, along with registration details.

Please don't hesitate to contact the NGCC:

ngccrugby@gmail.com 

Please note the girls CLUB TEAM national tournament has changed to a different weekend and will be held at a different location.

Unearthed Archives: The 1st All Wisconsin Girls Match

Our historical investigation staff recently unearthed photographs of the 1st All Wisconsin high school girls rugby match.  They were located in a box in the basement of the old league offices next to the washing machine.

There had been earlier matches in Wisconsin where DSHA hosted Wayzata (MN) and where DSHA played Marquette University's B side as well as UW-Platteville and UW-Whitewater.   But this was the first match between two high school sides.  

Dan Chanen was head coach of the first DSHA team.  Linda Niemela coached the Krusaders girls team, spelled with a K because they were not yet officially recognized by CMHS.

They played a home and away series in the fall of 1998.  From the very beginning it was a special rivalry.  Coach's homes were targeted.  And a wonderful first after-match social occurred, which was something these high school athletes and trailblazers had never experienced until that moment.

WGR Class of 2020

Congratulations to the following WGR Alumni who plan to compete on college varsity teams in the upcoming school year.  There may be more we are unaware of.  There are also numerous players likely to end up at club college teams.

While they may not get a chance to take the field this fall, we wish all of these impressive young women the best in their transition to college during these difficult times.

WGR Class of 2020:

Haley Crow             Catholic Memorial HS                 Quinnipiac University      (NCAA NIRA D1)

Alexis Haskins        Catholic Memorial HS                 Quinnipiac University      (NCAA NIRA D1)

Bella Huschitt         Divine Savior Holy Angels HS    Dartmouth University      (NCAA NIRA D1)

Abby Kayser           Divine Savior Holy Angels HS    Dartmouth University      (NCAA NIRA D1)

Gwen Knutson        Brookfield                                    Queens University            (NCAA NIRA D2)

Hannah Pfersch       Hamilton HS                                Quinnipiac University      (NCAA NIRA D1)

Angelina Pieters      Catholic Memorial HS                 Lindenwood University   (USAR  D1 Elite)

Spring 2021 Event Dates

Midwest High School Girls Rugby Championships    April 24th-25th, 2021
     Moose Rugby Grounds, Elkhart, Indiana
     Midwest Youth Rugby Website



National Girls Tournament                                          May 15th-16th, 2021
     Location TBD
     Look for info HERE on Lifelawrugby

Fall 2020 Conference Alignment

WGR has confirmed the conference alignment for the Fall 2020 season.  Planning continues in hopes of a fall Wisconsin Girls Rugby season.

Jeff Noe Conference:
Divine Savior Holy Angels HS
Kettle Moraine
Pulaski
Brookfield
Madison-Oshkosh

Tony Oliver Conference:
Catholic Memorial HS
Stevens Point Area HS
Hamilton HS
Oak Creek HS
Divine Savior Holy Angels HS jv

In other league news, the new Green Bay program will be looking to play some fall developmental matches.  Oregon-Stoughton along with another local school are in development.

Anyone interested in coaching should conact: wisconsingirlsrugby@gmail.com

WGR Video "We Will be Back" 2020

2020 Girls High School Rugby National Tournament Cancellation Announcement

To all Coaches and Participants;

The 2020 Girls High School Rugby National Tournament for single school teams scheduled for May 16th-17th is cancelled due to the Cov-19 virus pandemic.  

We wish to extend our sadness and regret at this course of action to the high school seniors most of all, as well as to everyone for the sacrifices made to fund participation and for the work put in to compete at a high level.  I want to thank the rest of the NGCC volunteer committee for taking the time to help keep this nonprofit event going each year.

Given player welfare and preparation concerns, the desire to mitigate financial loss for distant travelers, liability coverage uncertainty, widespread event shutdowns, and above-all public health and safety, there is no other option.  

Notre Dame College will be mailing back registration fees to the registered teams.  Please contact Luke Markovich at Notre Dame College directly to confirm mailing address. He is copied here.

It is our hope that the 2021 National Tournament could be held at Notre Dame College given the strong relationship we've built with this year's host and all the work they've put into laying a strong foundation for a great event.  

We hope all us coaches and your many wonderful players can meet in 2021 to continue this long-standing national celebration of girls rugby.

Sincerely;

The National Girls Coaches Committee, ngccrugby@gmail.com

John Klein (Chair)

Buck Billings (Eligibility)

Bernie Cantorna

Magdalena Law (Media)

Kelli Vanover (Media)

John Waliszewski (Communication+Bids) 262-501-2780

Tournament Director

Luke Markovich, Notre Dame College

 614-584-4163, Lmarkovich@ndc.edu

Girls Single School National Tournament 2020

The Girls High School Rugby National Tournament, held May 16th-17th, 2020, at Notre Dame College in Ohio is expecting to be full to capacity in the coming weeks.

Interested teams should contact organizers if they have not done so yet.

15 teams are already expected to compete, with a half dozen others in discussions over potential participation.

Expected Competitors:
1Broken Arrow HS (OK)
2Brunswick HS (OH)
3Catholic Memorial HS (WI)
4City Honors HS (NY)
5Columbia Central HS (TN)
6Divine Savior Holy Angels HS (WI)
7Grandville HS (MI)
8Kahuku HS (HI)
9McMinn HS (TN)
10Orchard Park (NY)
11Penn HS (IN)
12Moon Area HS (PA)
13State College HS (PA)
14St Joseph's Academy (OH)
15Warsaw Area HS (IN)

Other potential competitors include:
16Capital HS (ID)
17Moser HS (NC)
18Hough HS (NC)



Teams must apply here:  https://form.jotform.com/53374154156152

Please contact the National Girls Coaches Committee:  ngccrugby@gmail.com