For the first time in club history, the Gustavus Adolphus College women’s rugby team has advanced to the Division II Collegiate Championships. The team advanced to the 16-team national tournament by defeating Ball St. University 41-5 on Sunday, Nov. 15 at the Midwest Regional Final Four in Iowa Falls, Iowa.
Senior Kaelene Lundstrum led the way with four tries. Junior Chelsie Hansen added two tries, while junior Brittany Salisbury scored one try and two conversions.
Gustavus was the third team to advance out of the Midwest Regional as Winona State University and Slippery Rock State University earned the top two seeds out of the regional. The team, which is considered a club sport and not an official varsity sport at the College, compiled a record of 9-3 this fall with all three losses coming to Winona State.
“It’s been a really exciting time for our team because it’s the first time Gustavus women’s rugby has advanced this far,” said Gustavus senior and club president Vicky Hidalgo. “It’s taken a lot of hard work, but advancing to the national tournament shows how much passion we have for the sport and each other.”
The national tournament is slated for this spring and will take place April 16-18. Right now the Gustavus team knows it will be playing the No. 2 team out of the Northeast Regional in the first round in either Dallas, San Diego, or Sanford, Fla.
If the team wins its first two games in the national tournament it would advance to the Division II Final Four on April 30-May 1 at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif.
Members of the Gustavus women’s rugby team include Elizabeth Boening, Raquel Davis, Megan Endresen, Meredith Feenstra, Alyssa Florey, Chelsie Hansen, Vicky Hidalgo, Becca Hormann, Amy Hughes, Colleen Javorina, Allison Kieley, Marit Kyllo, Margaret Lane, Kaelene Lundstrom, Nicole Meyer, Melody Monyok, Natalie Peters, Melanie Rasch, Brittany Salisbury, Rachel Schwanke, Cydni Smith, and Lindsey Stene.
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