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!