Wheeling, W. Va. - It has been a big offseason award stretch for the Wheeling University Women's Rugby team, following their second straight undefeated 15's season. On Monday, National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) released its annual All-American squads for both the men and women, and five Wheeling Cardinals were honored on the list. Alexis Dallas, Tamzin Boyce, Ema Tai, Nisaiah Berkley, and Joelle Taylor each took home honors after leading the Cardinals on the field for the second year in a row.
It was one more honoree than the team had a season ago, led by three repeat All-American winners. Leading that group was senior Alexis Dallas, who took home the second All-American award of her career. She was the Cardinal's leading scorer during the 2025 15's season, finishing with 12 tries while sitting second on the team with 60 points. She would score at least one try in every contest for the Cardinals this season, while continuing to play a dominant role on the defensive end. Dallas would lead the team in both tackles and tackles per game, leading a Cardinal defense that allowed just 5.1 points per game during the regular season.
Seniors Ema Tai and Tamzin Boyce, who each earned their second career NCR All-American honors. Boyce was a regular threat on the perimeter for the Cardinals, and tied her career-high with eight tries during the season. She would add 40 points to finish as the team's fourth highest scorer on the season. She put together a pair of multi-try efforts during the season, and looks to continue to use that speed to her advantage into 7's season. Tai was not only a strong contributor on the offensive side of the ball, but the Cardinal's vocal leader on the field. Tai would finish the season with five tries, totaling 25 points, but was an essential piece to the Cardinal's ruck game. Tai would also make her presence felt on the defensive side of the ball, finishing right behind Dallas in tackles/game.
The final multi-All-American award winner was sophomore Joelle Taylor, who added her second All-American honor to her trophy case. Taylor put a heavier focus on the rucks and the defensive game during the 2025 15's season, but was still able to finish the year with one try totaling five points. The sophomore would help power the cardinals down by the goal line, clearing the path for the Cardinal speedsters to get out to the perimeter. Rounding out the list of honorees was Wheeling's lone first time honoree, junior Nisaiah Berkeley. Berkeley did not get on the scoresheet for the Cardinals during the year, but was a strong force in the ruck throughout the season. She pushed from the perimeter and helped put the ball into the hands of the Cardinal playmakers on the outside.
With the announcement of the NCR Women's Rugby All-American teams, the Wheeling University Athletic Department has now had 10 student-athletes earn All-American honors during the season. The Cardinal's Women's Rugby program has now finished with four or more All-Americans in each of their first two seasons, including a program record five this season. The Wheeling University Men's Rugby team was the last to be honored earlier this week, having Alex Nyamunda and Taku Musingwini each earning All-American honors.
The Wheeling University Women's Rugby team kicks off their 2026 7's season on Saturday, March 7th, when they compete at the Valley 7's Tournament at James Madison University.
