Wheeling, W. Va. - The 2024-2025 season saw the Wheeling University Women's Rugby program embark on their inaugural season. They brought home a national championship during the 15's season, and got back to the national stage during the Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC) National 7's. That success continued in the classroom as the Cardinals had seven athletes named to the annual NCR Scholastic All-American list with Marissa Hudson, Dakota Burgess, Tamzin Boyce, Lucy Bryant, Mariah Crews, Jemmely Rivera, and Liz Sinatra each earning honors.
During the 2024-2025 season, NCE recognized 1,284 students for their work in the classroom, which was a 21% increase from a season ago. Of those 1,284 students, 564 came from men's teams representing 220 teams across the country. In order to qualify as an NCR Scholastic All-American, an athlete must maintain a 3.5 GPA or higher for the 2024-2025 season. The athlete must also be rostered for at least 50% of the A-side matches during either the Fall 15's season or the Spring 7's season. The group of honorees represents roughly 1 in every 20 college rugby players, as NCR honors the best of the best athletes whose commitment to excellence on the field extends into the classroom.
The Cardinals saw academic success from the top down, starting with senior Dakota Burgess, who was one of the leaders throughout 15's season. She would finished the fall season scoring four tries and totaling 20 points on the season. She routinely handled the throw-ins for the Cardinals, setting them up for scoring opportunities. During the Spring season, Burgess continued to play a role putting up nine points and scoring one try on the season. She also added two successful conversion kicks on the season as she helped the Cardinals back to the National stage. As one of two seniors on the team, Burgess was tasked with establishing the culture of the program and has set it up for success for years to come.
Two of the Cardinal's leaders on the field who were recognized included juniors Tamzin Boyce and Liz Sinatra. During 15's season, Boyce finished second on the team with 11 tries while totaling 55 points during the team's National Championship run. Boyce would score multiple tries in four different games during the run and continued that success into the 7's season. She would add six more tries during the spring portion of the schedule and scored 32 points while going 1-1 on conversion kicks. Sinatra would routinely make outside runs for the Cardinals during the fall season, and scored three tries while finishing with 15 points. However, in the 7's season, she used that speed to her advantage, finishing with seven tries while totaling 37 points. Her final two points would come on her lone conversion kick of the season, as she finished 1-3 in that category.
Jemmely Rivera would be the next player honored, coming off a strong showing during the team's 7's season. Rivera would finish third on the team during 7's season with 12 tries and 60 points as she helped them battle to the National level. Rivera added four tries and 20 points during the fall season as she rounded out a strong first season. Marissa Hudson would play a big role in the Cardinal kicking game, training under captain Bella Gullatta. She would be the one to score the first points in program history, and finished the Fall season with 11 points, finishing 5-8 in conversion kicks and 2-2 on Penalty Kicks. She continued the success into 7's season, totaling 67 points, scoring three tries and going 17-26 in conversion kicks. The final two honorees were Mariah Crews and Lucy Bryant, who were strong role players throughout the 15's season. Crews finished with two tries and 10 points during 15's season while Bryant got experience during 7's season on both the A and B sides.
The Wheeling University Women's Rugby team continues through the off-season as they look to get back to the national stage. They kick-off the 2025 season on Saturday, August 30th, when they hit the road to face Penn State.
