2025 High School Girls National Tournament (Applications Still Being Accepted!)

 Letters of interest to compete in the high school girls national tournament (aka "single-school" or one-community teams) are still being accepted.  Organizers are working with any teams that wish to compete, whether that be in the top tier or the more developmental second-division bracket.  Please contact the list of volunteers below if your team is interested in the event held May 17th-18th, 2025 at the Madison United Rugby Complex in Cottage Grove, WI.

Organizers wanted to clarify their willingness to work with teams.  The separately managed "club"  tournament at the same location has a march 1st due date for applications.  This is not the same as the school or one-community pathway for participation.

Nationals (Single School) Volunteers:

    Contact:  John Klein jklein@sdsm.k12.wi.us

                   Kraig Smikel  ksmikel.ks@hotmail.com

                   Kelli Vannover  kelli.vanover@farmersinsurance.com

   MUR Contact:  Brad Dufek  murugbydirector@gmail.com

WGR Landmark

 2025 is proving to be a momentous year.

It's the year a Wisconsin native, someone who helped start a single school girls rugby team at her high school, became one of the founding professional athletes of the WER Women's Elite Rugby League.  As a varsity high school athlete, Hannah Pfersch found much success on and off the field.  She progressed to a note-able 4-year NCAA Division One athletic career, graduating with honors from Quinnipiac University.  Now, she transitions to professional athlete with the TC Gemini up in Egan,  MN.  Check out their Grape Bowl Stadium, a 7000 seat stadium connected with the MN Vikings management facility.  The Wisconsin connections don't end there, as Hannah's head coach is Sylvia Braaten, who got her start in rugby playing for Marquette University back in 2003-2004.  Braaten eventually earned 14 caps as a center, representing the USA in two World Cups.   We hope some of the current high school girls get a chance to see on of Pfersch's games in person!   Huge congrats to her!

In more great news, Green Bay native Cece Rose committed to play varsity collegiate rugby at Life University outside Atlanta, Georgia.  As one of the top women's collegiate programs in the country, it sounds like a great fit for a student-athlete who has played on several top sevens select teams in her short, but vaunted career.  Life University is a unique institution of higher education: first built around their chiropractic college, they've expanded in the last ten years to include nursing.  One former Wisconsin Rugger, Tom Katzfey, who was in the USA player-pool at one point, attended Life for his pre-med studies.  Best of luck to Rose on her next step!

Plains and Girls Rugby

 For the last several years DSHA and the Iowa Hawkettes have played a spring 15’s scrimmage.  For most of the Iowa girls these games were their first exposure to 15’s rugby.

This spring things are developing in two directions. For Iowa, it’s no longer a select team playing.   A scrimmage with existing teams is another step in exposing more girls to the wider format of the game.

In addition it appears Nebraska will also participate in the spring cross-state friendly matches: a great step for growing the game in other parts of the country.   Here’s hoping for good weather!

Girls High School Rugby Nationals Expansion 2025

 As girls high school rugby continues to expand, bringing new programs into the event is a huge part of what makes the competition unique each season.

  This year's news that possible expansion could include an Oregon single-school program represents an important expansion of the tournament, adding another West competitor.  Building off Idaho's strong involvement and growth, adding a rep from a long-running league in the Pacific Northwest would rekindle memories of the competition's busiest seasons when teams from Seattle (Kent HS) and Antelope HS and another team from Oregon whose name escapes our archivist at this moment, all participated.  While not a sure-thing, including team's from places like Oregon might lend even further momentum to two and three divisions of single school competition.  This is also big news as Oregon had pulled back from national tournament competition two decades ago to focus on local growth. 

   Last year's big story of two Chicago area girls teams participating in school competition was a first.  Now Oregon's re-inclusion could mark a watershed moment of participation.  Could this be the year the event returns to 16 competing teams?