This season, the Wayne State College women’s Rugby 7s team is headed to nationals as the fifth seed in the west division. The Wildcats’ opening match against the tournament fourth seed is set to be played on Saturday, Apr. 25, the first day of the competition.
The National Collegiate Rugby Championship for Rugby 7s is credited as the largest collegiate tournament in the world with a total of 144 teams and 300 matches across eight divisions. The WSC women’s team will be competing as a part of the Division III bracket.
Across both the 15s season in the fall and the 7s season in the spring, the Wildcats have been practicing and competing with the hopes of being able to move on to nationals at the end of this season. The last time the women’s team made nationals was three years ago.
“My biggest goal is for us to play our game and fully trust each other,” player Makenna Frank said. “At nationals, the goal is to compete at the highest level we can and leave knowing we gave everything we had.”
According to Head Coach Bryn Chivers, anything can happen at nationals. Just one move or one game is enough to change the outcome of the tournament. Their hope is to play their best and see how far the team can make it.
“Making it to nationals honestly means everything,” Frank said. “It’s a reflection of how hard we’ve grown as a team.”
This sentiment is shared among the athletes, as many of them look forward to competing at a national level for the first time.
“I am so insanely proud of all the girls on the team,” athlete Jillian Sovereign said. “It has been such a struggle getting here and finally seeing all our hard work pay off has made it all worth it. I couldn’t be happier.”
Jillian Sovereign has the unique experience of getting to play alongside her younger sister, Genevieve Sovereign, a freshman who started playing for the WSC rugby team just this fall.
“Having my sister join me on the team this year has been the greatest gift,” Sovereign said. “She is my best friend, and I have loved watching her learn the sport and compete at such a high level in her first year. I will always love and appreciate all of the friendships I have made through the sport. My life would be so completely different without them.”
Chivers said having the two of them on the team together really helps with the team dynamic. According to Chivers, one of the greatest strengths of the women’s rugby program at WSC is the way they communicate with each other while playing.
Assistant Coach Greg Scott shared the same idea about the dynamics of the women’s team as a whole.
“They are driving themselves to become better players, not just as individuals, but as a team,” Scott said. “We’ve always had good athletes, but we have an array of talent that really works together.”
With a total of 13 athletes on the team preparing to play at nationals as well as two coaches and a media manager, the team as a whole is getting ready to travel this upcoming weekend.
Team captain Mary McKulsky is an injured athlete in her senior season with the team. As a major part of their training success, McKulsky is traveling to nationals as the media manager. The last time the team made it to nationals was her freshman year at WSC.
“I really hope that us going this year brings back that momentum and that drive for the girls now and after us,” McKulsky said. “I’m so excited for the team.”
Chivers credits part of the team’s growth with McKulsky’s work and leadership both during practices and throughout the athletes lives. Chivers expressed excitement for not only the ability to compete at a national level this year, but also the strength of the team that got them there.
“There is growth,” Scott said. “Through injuries, through school, through things that happen on and off the field, there is growth in how they treat their teammates and other people… You can’t work and compete and play as a team if you don’t have those relationships.”
