With tic marks already added to the football field and new pitch construction just over the horizon, Athletic Director Sheahon Zenger has big plans for the NCAA women’s rugby team at the University of New Haven. Back in February, the University of New Haven announced its entrance as the 26th National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) Varsity team in the US, alongside Lander, another D2 university, and Adrian College, a D3 program.
Zenger, a past football coach and now AD found himself drawn to the “rugby player mentality” and felt that the introduction of an NCAA women’s squad would provide an environment that would enhance student experience on campus and increase school spirit. Zenger’s eyes were set on shiny new uprights and, as luck would have it, he had all the administrative support he needed to get the ball rolling.
In 2019, New Haven’s president and new AD Zenger, both noticed a need for athletics in their area. So, during COVID-19 Zenger took to playing offense, wanting to be “bold and to come out strong when the pandemic subsides.” Zenger believes that the introduction of highly competitive rugby team will be their way of saying, “We are winning the pandemic.”
Currently, New Haven is looking for a someone to help spearhead this new rugby initiative and is taking applications for the Head Coach position.
However, not every NCAA rugby team creation is that easy, according to Amy Rusert, NIRA Women’s Rugby Commissioner. “Not every process is the same.” says Rusert. Each school comes equipped with its own set of anchors and propellers and in her years of experience, she says without a doubt, the best tool a school has in reaching NCAA status is a supportive administration.
About 20 years ago, Rusert was at the forefront of the NCAA initiative working for USA Rugby and now, works directly for NIRA, the NCAA sponsoring body for women’s rugby. Today, women’s rugby is classified as an emerging sport along with five others including women’s wrestling, acrobatics and tumbling, equestrian and triathlon.
Bringing together institutions of higher education that compete at the highest levels of intercollegiate women’s rugby in the United States is just one of NIRA’s goals. The associations overarching goal has remained focused on supporting the growth of women’s rugby nationally to attain NCAA Championship status. Now, with 26 rugby programs, NIRA continues its #SprintTo40.
Even with an ever-growing number of programs, Rusert says there are some bumps in the road that schools encounter on their NCAA journey that can be attributed to geographical issues. These issues can make meeting the minimum number of matches difficult for some programs. Her solution? Sevens tournaments.
This style of play allows for several competitive games in one weekend, bringing all teams present closer to the minimum requirement and facilitating a fun and competitive environment for ruggers. Similarly, rugby sevens being the Olympic discipline continues to be a guiding light for new and current programs. The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee has also built a focus on producing Olympic hopefuls through the collegiate ranks with the Olympians Made Here campaign.
When looking to start the process of creating an NCAA sponsored women’s rugby program at a college or university, NIRA looks for what schools and potential programs will add value to this higher level of play. Rusert’s advice to eager student athletes or potential advocates of rugby on their campus is to seek information from your institution first. Figure out their processes and talk to the right people to see if NIRA is an option for your school.
A Case for Rugby - NCAA Emerging Sports Forum 1.25.19 by nirawrugby | Free Listening on SoundCloud
Queens University of Charlotte Head Coach, Katie Wurst knows firsthand the benefits of having NCAA status after becoming a NIRA varsity level program back in 2019. Wurst says that being able to compete as an NCAA team has provided the resources that, “are critical to goal achievement and prioritizing player welfare including professional coaching, strength & conditioning resources, sports medicine support, and much more.”.
Wurst goes on to say that, “Having the opportunity to make history for women in athletics as an NCAA student-athlete in rugby is positively impactful for all who love the game.”
As the new fall season approaches and more competition is on the way, the future of women’s competitive NCAA rugby is looking bright amidst dark times.
For more information on NIRA and the NCAA Women’s Rugby initiative, please visit nirawrugby.org or contact amy.rusert@nirawrugby.org.
