Ben Blotner
Senior Sports Writer
The women’s rugby team is off to a strong start this fall, as they have taken two of their first three games and sit in second place behind Denison University in the Ohio Valley Collegiate Women’s Rugby Conference. In their most recent game on Saturday, Sept. 29, the Fighting Scots absolutely demolished Wittenberg University by a score of 70-0 at John P. Papp Stadium.
“This was the first match where we really found our rhythm, and a lot of things started coming together for us,” said Head Coach Anne-Marie Lemal Brown. “We set out goals as individual players and as a team and for the most part, we succeeded.”
Wooster scored a total of 12 tries, and the Scots completed the extra two-point conversion on five of them. Two players with very different experience levels led the way, as Breanna Harrell ’21 and Courtney Lockhart ’20 paced the team with four tries apiece. Harrell was a high school rugby standout in Chicago, while Lockhart is a former Wooster basketball player and relatively new to the sport.
The other four tries came from Jenelle Booker ’21, Rianne Lund ’20, Indigo Quashie ’21 and Katie Sendek ’20. Sendek made the Scots’ only second-half conversion, while Harrell made conversions on four different tries in the first half, adding to her impressive day and earning praise from her coach. “She has been an incredible boon to the team and never fails to make her mark in every match,” said Brown.
The Scots cruised to victory despite losing captain Vanessa Ortega-Ramirez ’19 to a knee injury early in the first half. Her position was taken by Etta DiMartino ’22.
After splitting its first two games of the season, the team made a statement with the decisive victory, and Brown envisions nothing but more success in the team’s future.
“I am really excited to see how the team takes this new growth into the next two matches against Kenyon [College] and Tiffin [University],” she said. “We are getting better with our support play and it has been exciting to see the new players really start to understand the game,” she said.
Out of the 23 players on the team’s roster, nine are new to the sport this fall, which often presents a challenge. However, Brown is pleased with the newcomers’ performances thus far.
“The first month we were getting new players every week, and it is imperative that everyone is contact-ready before taking the field in their first match,” Brown said. “The new players that have come out have really contributed in games. They are developing well, and I am looking forward to seeing what they will do in the future.”
Rugby at the College of Wooster allows people from all backgrounds to come together and play, no matter their previous experience. Coach Brown hopes to develop their skills as they continue to practice.
Team Advisor Scott Brown, husband of head coach Anne-Marie Lemal Brown and also Wooster’s dean of students, is impressed with the women’s chemistry and camaraderie.
“I am proud to see such a diverse group of women come together, and because of the team culture they have worked hard to create, be so welcoming to any new person, become so close … and [show] how strong they can be together in only their second season,” he said.
The Fighting Scots rugby team is eager to continue their season and are hungry for success in their conference.
The Wooster Fighting Scots rugby team will try to keep the positive momentum going when they go on the road to battle the Kenyon College Ladies on Saturday, Oct. 20.