Wheeling, W. Va. - With the 2026 spring 7's season fully underway, the best players across the women's rugby scene are battling to get back to the Collegiate Rugby Championships (CRC) National 7's. As they battle it out on the field, they are also competing for the top Women's Rugby honor with the announcement of the 2026 Ma Sorensen Award nominees. Wheeling University Women's Rugby senior captain Ema Tai was named as one of seventeen players to be named a nominee for Women's Rugby's top honors.
"We are immensely proud of Ema being nominated for the Sorensen Award," said Wheeling University Head Women's Rugby Coach Mike Geibel. "She has consistently been a top performer for this team, and a leader on and off the pitch. Congratulations to Ema and all of the other nominees for their achievements this year. The future of women's rugby in the US looks brighter everyday, and I'm glad that Ema and Wheeling can be a part of it."
The Ma Sorensen Award is named after standout USA Rugby Player MaryAnn Sorensen, who played for team USA during the 1991 Women's World Cup. She was a prop for the USA team and helped lead the USA to a 1991 World Cup title and a finals appearance in the 1994 World Cup Tournament. She was a standout collegiate player at William & Mary and was a brilliant player and coach while pursuing a highly respected medical career. The award is given out to the top collegiate women's rugby player at an awards event in Seattle, with Sorensen personally in attendance to hand out the award at each of the previous award banquets aside from the 2020 & 2021 award ceremonies due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Cardinals have a nominee for the award for the second year in a row, with senior captain Ema Tai coming off a strong 2025. It started with a strong showing during the 2025 7's season, where Tai played a role on both sides of the ball. She would finish as the team's fourth-leading scorer during the 7's season, finishing with seven tries and 35 points in the effort. She was also among the team's leading tacklers, sitting second on the team in total tackles. She continued that success into the 15's season, leading the Cardinals to an undefeated regular season. The senior played a big role in the team's ruck game during the year, but managed to get across the try line five times in 10 games. She would total 25 points for the fall season, and again was a big presence on the defensive side of the ball as the team's second leading tackler.
Tai joins a list of 17 players from 12 different schools to be nominated for the award at the start of the 7's season. At the conclusion of the 2026 CRC National 7's, the list will be narrowed down to four or five nominees, with the winner being announced at the annual awards banquet in Seattle in June. Tai is the second Wheeling Women's Rugby player to ever be nominated for the award, joining her current teammate Alexis Dallas, who was a nominee last season.
Tai and the Wheeling Women's Rugby team returns to action on Friday, April 11th, when they compete at the Gate City 7's.
