The women’s rugby team is heading down the final stretch of the season carrying a 10-8-1 record finishing 1-3 in the Crimson 7’s tournament this past weekend. SHU is looking to gain some momentum to carry through the final stretch of the season and into the College Rugby Association of America (CRAA) Women’s collegiate 7’s championship tournament.
“Last year we took home the plate and this year we are coming for more,” said women’s rugby Head Coach Michelle Reed.
SHU had success March 22 at the Brown University 7’s tournament. The team split up using two teams in the tournament. Both teams were successful, as the Sacred Heart Red team finished in third place and the Grey team finished as bowl champions.
“To have two teams competing in a tournament is huge; it truly shows how much we have grown since my freshman year. The tournament also gave a lot of girls the opportunity to play and get the college rugby experience, as we did just get in a big freshman class was great,” said senior Alyssa Cunningham.
Source: Contributed by Daniel Boye, ’27
History is also in the making for the team, as Cunnigham has been nominated for the MaryAnn Sorensen Award for the second consecutive year in a row. The award is considered the highest award any collegiate women’s rugby player can be given.
“I have been playing for a long time and for me to maintain the ability to grow and gain knowledge in this sport is huge. After being nominated two years in a row, it brings great recognition, that reflects not just me as a player, but the growth that this team has made together,” said Cunningham.
Fans can vote on the nominees now, and a selection committee will determine the winner based on the pool of finalists.
“Aly has been phenomenal since she first got on campus. She bought into our program and what we were doing. She wanted to build this program from ‘who is Sacred Heart’ to ‘watch out, it’s Sacred Heart,’” said Reed.
Coming down into their final stretch, the team looks to have a successful post season.
“Rest, eat, hydrate is what our team will continue to do,” said junior Ashley Torres-Brown. “Recovery is a huge part of D1 sports, and for us to continue to be healthy, rest, eat and hydrate will be key. In this sport, I have learned the hard way when we play so many games our muscles tend to get sore and tight, so our recovery, rest, eating, and hydration will be key for us.”
The team will head to Indianapolis on May 2 to compete in the CRAA national championship. With a lot of hardware on the minds of the players, the team preaches on continuing rest and recovery to make sure their bodies are healthy for the tournament.
“Rugby 7s is a fast game when we are playing defense, it becomes a one on one with you and your opponent if you can beat them coming around the outside. Physically, we need to execute our skills and
fundamentals, but at the same time during practices we tend to back off conditioning so players bodies are rested and recovered for a very hard 2-day tournament where we will play up to 5 games,” said Reed.
SHU will play next on April 6 against the University of New Haven in West Haven, Conn.
Sacred Heart Athletics contributed to this article.
