You've heard of THE Army-Navy game, but did you know about THIS Army-Navy Game? The USNA Women’s Rugby Club team wages a hard-fought battle against Army, too. In fact, the Academy has a vibrant, highly competitive USNA club sports program that engages the midshipmen in serious competition with other colleges and military academies - just like the varsity teams. With funding contributed by the NABSD, these sports are an essential part of the tradition of Navy excellence, helping midshipmen to strengthen their body, mind and spirit.
Midshipmen are required to participate in a sport while at the Academy. But it’s not hard to field recruits for the USNA Women’s Rugby team since they’ve built a fun and formidable reputation. Since their inception as a club sport at the USNA in 1995, the team has hit the ground running. At the end of the 1995 school year, Julie Maynard (’96) approached Major Thomas Edwards (USMC ’77) about coaching the first Naval Academy club sports rugby team. With the support of Captain Martinez, USN (the ranking female on the Yard who became the Officer Representative), the team had its start. By the first semester of 1996, the USNA Women’s Rugby team entered the pitch for their first game as a provisional member of the Virginia Rugby Union.
Known for their “athleticism, fortitude and strength,” the team has triumphed over the years, making their mark in Navy club sports. Their conference features exciting competition, complete with rivalries that equate to those of the varsity sports. They compete as an Independent in USA Rugby Division 1, as well as the Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championships. Their season also includes friendlies with teams from the upper and lower leagues. The ultimate mission? “To score ruthlessly, demolish opponents and win national titles.”
Since rugby is not offered at most high schools, the club provides great opportunities for newbies to join the game when they join the Academy! The team is proud to welcome players from around the world - their community is a diverse group of women with a vision for excellence, and these shared goals have inspired many lifelong friendships. Throughout the years, the team has enjoyed a committed group of alumni and fans, who often cheer the team to rallies and victories at home and away matches.
The team has attracted some excellent players, as they encourage each woman to reach her potential on the pitch and beyond. “Love the legacy” are the words that guide everything the women’s rugby program does, and every game is an opportunity to continue this legacy. Their website says it with poetry: “The legacy is simple - give your all for the women to your left and right, just as the women before you have. We understand that the name on the front of our jersey is far more important than our own.”
Just this summer, the team reached another exciting milestone when it launched a successful girls’ rugby camp at the pitch adjacent to the Brigade Sports Complex in late June, introducing the sport to ruggers as young as 10-18. These young women hail from local schools and some may join the very team that coached them at the camp. This camaraderie and encouragement is pure legacy in action. For the USNA Women’s Rugby Team, the future is bright!
You can follow the team on Facebook and on their webpage. The upcoming fall schedule is now available (see below). Come out and support the team! And don’t forget that you support them every time you visit the Yard to dine, shop or tour, since the NABSD gives 100% of its proceeds back to the brigade.
So what are you waiting for? Pick up some great rugby gear at Navyonline.com and join us at the pitch. All home matches are played at the Brigade Sports Complex.
Go Navy Beat Army!