Texas A&M’s women’s rugby team will face off on Saturday, March 4, against Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma, in the National Collegiate Rugby Premier Qualifying Tournament.
The maroon and the white’s teams will play four games against the University of Texas, Texas Tech University, SNU and Oklahoma State University during the tournament. The team’s first game of the season was a 7’s tournament on Feb. 18 at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Both teams are currently 3-1 for the 2023 season, according to TAMUwrfc.com.
Electronic systems engineering senior Emily Dodson said she is looking forward to the tournament, which will allow the team to move up a division, adding she thinks the team will qualify to play in the premier divisions.
“[SNU’s] largest victory was 32-0 against Angelo State University, and our season record is 3-1,” Dodson, the team’s president, said.
Kinesiology sophomore Alana Michelson was one of the captains for the White team at the last match and said team members are very supportive and encouraging of the newer players.
“I enjoyed hyping them up and watching the rookies make mistakes and telling them it’s OK to make mistakes and that we never give up,” Michelson said. “The humor amongst the team brings one another up when we’re down, and the compassion we have for each other and drive to keep going to push each other to be better.”
Having teammates who are friends on-and-off the field and work well together are what makes it a good experience, Dodson added.
“We’re really good, so winning keeps us motivated,” Dodson said. “Rugby is an escape from our day-to-day life; it’s a good stress reliever. It hasn’t been hard to keep us motivated.”
For schedule information and updates, visit TAMUwrfc.com or follow the team @TAMUwrfc on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Sophia LaMothe is a recreation, park and tourism sciences junior and contributed this article from the course JOUR 359, Reporting Sports, to The Battalion.