Strong recruiting has turned a rebuilding season into a national tournament berth for the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Women’s Rugby Club. The club team has advanced to the Round of 16 at the 2017 USA Rugby Women’s Collegiate Division II National Championship at Miami University (OH).
“This weekend we really hope to make a statement in Ohio,” Beth Pokorny, team captain, said. “We have not been recognized at this level before, so while we many not know what to expect, ultimately we know our own team’s strengths and weaknesses and we plan to use that to our advantage.”
UW Oshkosh Women’s Rugby ended its regular season with five wins and one loss and claimed the title of division champions. They qualified Nov. 4-5 for the chance to advance into the national playoffs Round of 32 (32 teams competing in bracket play.)
Pokorny said the team traveled 4.5 hours on a school bus to play Illinois State University Nov. 11. They did not know much about their opponent and went into the game with the mindset to “play our game” and “do our best.”
They had an outstanding game, crushing their opponent 62-24 to advance to the Round of 16.
Strong recruiting class
“We, like other teams in our conference, went into our season with the mindset that we would be rebuilding our club,” Pokorny said.
With the help of a 4imprint sponsorship—the employer of new coach Catherine Lewis—the team was gifted recruitment materials with a UWO Women’s Rugby logo. Pokorny is convinced the recruitment was a vital part of their season—resulting in about a dozen hardworking new players.
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