In its third season as part of a college conference, and first full year of existence, the Montana State Women’s Rugby Club once again qualified for the 7s National Championships held over Memorial Day Weekend in Cary, NC. This follows the club’s first college conference championship and berth to the 15s National Championships last fall in which the team made it to the round of 8. The magnitude of these achievements cannot be overstated. MSU’s athletes will be one of eight Division II teams competing for the DII 7s National Championship, while they were last year one of sixteen competing for the DI 7s National Championship. The team’s run of success upon its inception is unparalleled for a club sport or athletic team at Montana State. It receives minimal funding, does not yet offer scholarships or tuition flexibility, charges next to nothing for dues, has far less resources than any athletic team at Montana State, and has only been an all-student club for just over one year. No other team club or sport has had this success in such a short amount of time, but for some reason, they–athletic teams and men’s lacrosse and men’s rugby–garner far more media attention.
The MSU Women’s Rugby Club was born out of the efforts of several individuals and many former players who worked to resurrect women’s rugby in Bozeman and at Montana State around 2011. Michelle O’Brien, Kelly Bard, Kelsie Maricelli, Kevin Griggs and others formed and/or helped grow the Bozeman Whitetail Rugby Club, which enabled a new group of young women and a new head coach to transition to an all-college student club and join Rocky Mountain Rugby’s Division II Women’s Collegiate Conference in 2015. The club is grateful for all previous participants and supporters who got it to where it is now. Let us celebrate their conference victory!
For more information and upcoming events, visit msuwrugby-.wix.com/msu-womens-rugby/. •