Braaten, McCormick Named Collegiate All-Americans

USA Rugby recently named the 2007 Collegiate Women's All-Americans.

Wisconsin was well-represented with Sylvia Braaten (Marquette University) on the First Team and Katie McCormick (UW-Milwaukee) on the Second Team.

Via USA Rugby:

USA Rugby Releases Women’s Collegiate All-American Selections for 2006-2007
For Immediate Release
September 19, 2007

BOULDER, Colo. -- USA Rugby is pleased to announce the Women's Collegiate All-Americans for the 2006-2007 academic year. In this thirteenth year for the Women’s All-American program, players were selected based on their performance from the entire collegiate season. Many of the athletes have repeated as All-Americans, and others demonstrated their abilities with their respective territory's Under-23 team.

Out of nearly 10,000 women playing college rugby in 2006-2007, 32 First Team and 35 Second Team All-Americans were selected by a committee, with players representing 38 individual colleges. Those chosen will receive a letter and a certificate from USA Rugby and their respective school's club sports director will also receive a letter and certificate of recognition.

"The growth in collegiate rugby, its competitiveness and excellent quality of play continue to amaze us, thus making the committee’s decision process long and difficult,” said Women’s Collegiate All-American Committee Chair Alan Osur.

The committee consisting of Osur, Darlene Connors, Steve Murra, Nancy Kechner and Ellen Owens, represents a cross-section of rugby coaches and administrators. They received input from other coaches and administrators from across the nation and spent many weeks analyzing player performances.

The Women's All-American program was started by the Collegiate Committee in 1995 and has grown over the years as the number and quality of the players and teams have improved. Back in 1995, there were 167 collegiate teams, while this year more than 300 collegiate teams are in competition. Between 1995 and 1998, the committee named only first team All-American selections, but since 1999 both first and second team players have been selected.

The Women’s Collegiate All-Americans for the 2006-2007 academic year are as follows:

FIRST TEAM:
Northeast - Kirsten Ahrendt (Dartmouth); Emilie Bydwell (Brown); Danielle Goodman-Levy (Vassar); Jennifer Hustwitt (Brown); Tess Kohanski (Syracuse);Dianna Le (Army).

MARFU - Katy Black (West Chester); Kate Daley (Penn State); Elizabeth Inkellis (Princeton); Diana Klein (Penn State); Sarah Miller (James Madison); Carrie Perdue (Virginia); Alison Worman (Penn State).
South - Becky Urion (Florida).

Midwest - Sylvia Braaten (Marquette); Kassie Drey (Northern Iowa); Kristy Lear (Minnesota); Tiffany McCoy (Northern Iowa); Sarah Wilson (Ohio State).

West - Rebecca Barron (Texas A&M); Sydney Forestal (New Mexico); Jillion Potter (New Mexico); Gina Steffano (Texas A&M).

Pacific Coast - Olivia Anglade (Stanford); Katie Chou (California); Kelly Nielson (Chico State); Elaine Schlarb (Oregon State); Cameron Stewart (Davis); Jacelyn Tseng (Stanford).

Southern California - Phoebe Boone (Santa Barbara); Kelly Griffin (UCLA); Alexis Volen (San Diego).


SECOND TEAM:
Northeast - Ida Bernstein (Syracuse); Emily Dupre (Northeastern); Aimee Gough (Radcliffe).

MARFU - Stephanie Burkhardt (West Chester); Allurie Kephart (Penn State); Lauren Rosso (Penn State); Alison Searle (Penn State); Emily Shiflett (Virginia); Siobhan Tiernan (Virginia).

South - Allison Fischman (Florida); Khadijah Glast (Clemson); Victoria Prader (Florida).

Midwest - Schmarrah McCarthy (Purdue); Kathryn McCormick (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee); Amanda Rolling (Iowa State); Jessica Travers (University of Illinois).

West - Jennifer Ballinger (Colorado); Elizabeth Bryant (Texas A&M); Natalie Frank (New Mexico); Olivia Herdt (Wyoming); Rocio Ramos (New Mexico); Desbah Yazzie (Air Force).

Pacific Coast - Thania Balcorta (Davis); Megan Mendivil (Davis); Tara McBride (Chico State); Carey Myslewski (Stanford); Amara Reddick (UC-Santa Cruz); Rachel Reddick (Chico State); Alissa Sambucetti (California); Melissa Smit (Stanford); Megan Thompson (Western Washington); Caroline White (Chico State); Chelsea Willes (Brigham Young).

Southern California - Rosie Krauter (Santa Barbara); Kara Mathews (Santa Barbara).

Congratulations to Sylvia and Katie!

UW-Milwaukee Women's Rugby Host Camp

Via the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Women's Rugby Team:

Dear Athletes,

UW-Milwaukee Women's RFC will host an intermediate and upper-level skills camp for Women's High School Rugby players and entering college freshman. The camp will be held in Milwaukee from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, August 25th, 2007. Some rugby experience is preferred, but is not required. This camp is open to ALL High School Women's Rugby Players and entering freshman, regardless of which college you plan to attend.

The camp will first work in small groups based on position. Groups will focus on problem-solving methods for improving individual skills in common game situations. Game situations will be presented and then practiced in the smaller groups. The skills you learn will give you a strong skill set for your rugby repertoire. As the camp progresses you will learn group positional skills and work focused attack and defense in units. The camp will wrap up with a scrimmage between two sides formed from the camp participants.

The $30 entrance fee includes a lunch and a T-shirt. The camp fee can be paid online with your completed registration form at:
http://www.uwm.edu/StudentOrg/lprfc/clinic/2007mkegirlscamp.htm
Please register BEFORE AUGUST 11th, 2007!

We are pleased to provide this opportunity to the Wisconsin rugby community. If you have any questions, please feel free to email either myself (jprunckle@yahoo.com) or Jeff Grossman (geebob144man@yahoo.com). Please forward this to other players who may be interested and encourage them to join you.

Sincerely,

J. Scot Prunckle
Head Coach - Backline, UW-Milwaukee Women's RFC
(414) 208-6703

Wisconsin's U-23 Eagles on New Zealand Tour

Via USA Rugby:

USA Women's National U-23 Team Prepare for 2007 New Zealand Tour
For Immediate Release
July 11, 2007

USA Women’s National U-23 Team Prepare for 2007 New Zealand Tour
BOULDER, Colo. – The USA Women’s National U-23 Team announced the squad for a two week long New Zealand Tour, which they will be departing for in late July. The tour will consist of three games in cities on both the country's South and North Islands.

The team will begin the tour with a match against Burnside Rugby Football Club Women's Team in Christchurch on Wednesday, July 25. The second match will be in Palmerston North against the Manawatu Club on Saturday, July 28. The New Zealand tour will conclude with a final game in Auckland on August 4.

“It's important for us to take these kinds of trips, because the standard of play we're aiming for is not set by domestic US competitions. It is set in places like New Zealand and England right now, so we have to go,” said Head Coach Barbara Fugate. “These players will meet a new level of physical intensity and skill, and we hope that each of them will bring some of that back. This kind of tour can be a career-changing experience if the players take full advantage of it."

In addition to playing against world class competition, the members of the U-23 squad will have a once in a lifetime opportunity to spend an evening with Farah Palmer, who captained the New Zealand Black Ferns at the last two Women’s Rugby World Cups. Also on the itinerary for their two weeks abroad is the New Zealand Domestic Women's Club Championship in Auckland on Saturday, August 4, which the U-23 women will be attending.

“We are very excited about this group of 28 players,” Fugate added. “This is a young and extremely athletic team. It is a little bit seasoned in spite of the youth, because it includes many former USA U-19 players who already have some overseas tour experience.”

The U-23 squad for the 2007 New Zealand Tour is as follows: Kirsten Ahrendt (Dartmouth), Tonya Ansel (Sr. MN Mankato), Amber Benlian (Maryland Women), Libby Berg (MN Valkyries), Phoebe Boone (UCSB), Sylvia Braaten (Chicago Northshore), Emilie Bydwell (Brown Univ.), Kate Daley (Penn State Univ.), Kassie Drey (Univ of No Iowa), Sydney Forestal (UNM), Dani Goodman-Levy (Vassar), Kelly Griffin (UCLA), Brea Hughes (Texas A&M), Tess Kohanski (Syracuse), Kristy Lear (U of MN), Tara McBride (Cal State Chico), Schmarrah McCarthy (Purdue), Kati McCormick (Kettle Moraine), Tiffany McCoy (Univ of No Iowa), Jillion Potter (UNM), Naima Reddick (Cal State Chico), Elaine Schlarb (Oregon State Univ.), Jess Travers (UIC), Emily Tunney (Philadelphia Women), Shaina Turley (San Diego Surfers), Krissy Vargas (Cal State Chico), Sheri Villa (American Univ.) and Sarah Wilson (Ohio St).

Accompanying the players will be a staff of six, including: Barbara Fugate, head coach; Martha Daines, assistant coach; Susan Whitwell, assistant coach; Annemarie Henning, program manager; Teresa Tucker, team manager; and Nicole Titmas, athletic trainer.

If you would like to support the U-23 Women’s New Zealand tour, please visit the Support USA Rugby webpage and select "U23 women" in the dropdown menu to designate the U-23 Women’s National Team as the recipient. If you make a donation of $100 or more, you will receive a photo of the team on tour in a scenic New Zealand location when the team returns.

Representing Wisconsin, Sylvia Braaten is a former Marquette University alum and Kati McCormick is a Kettle Moraine HS alum and current UW-Milwaukee player.

Link Update for UW-Milwaukee Women

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Women's Rugby Team has updated its website link - http://www.uwm.edu/StudentOrg/lprfc/.

Be sure and update any links on your team's website or your own list of favorites!

Thanks to Scot Prunkle for the update.