College Women
BOULDER, Colo. (USA Rugby Release) – USA Rugby has selected 55 deserving student-athletes from 35 schools as the Women’s Collegiate All-Americans (WCAA) for the 2014-15 season. Reigning Division I National Champions in both 15s and sevens, Penn State leads the list with six players, while DI runner-up Central Washington produced five players of its own.
We're in an age where more “pathway products,” players nurtured in the national age-grade system, are graduating to the senior national team. With the build-out of the Girls High School All American (GHSAA) program, those athletes are entering the system at younger ages.
The summer has been a good one for women, and it’s still getting better. While details have not yet been released, USA Rugby has formed the Women’s Collegiate All American (WCAA) 7s program, which will field its first team at the Elite City 7s this weekend in Malvern, Pa.
When Jenny Johnson entered her final semester of high school, she knew what was awaiting her post-graduation. Her older sister was playing basketball at Central Washington University, and in November 2013, Johnson signed her National Letter of Intent to do the same. But after her senior season of basketball, she tried rugby, and everything changed.
College rugby scholarships are a real option for the modern female high schooler, but that doesn’t mean all of the best talent is heading to those programs. The post-high school formula varies for every student athlete, and there other influences aiding players’ choice of education and rugby.