The Brigham Young University Women's Rugby team, formerly known as Women's Cougar Rugby Club, participates in the Pacific Desert Rugby Conference D-I in USA Rugby's Women's College rugby D-I National Championship Series Competition. BYU Women's rugby is a sanctioned team under Extramural Sports programs with the Department of Student Life at Brigham Young University. In May 2016, BYU entered its first national championship final ever as an extramural club on campus in Utah, and came in as runner-up to Penn State in the DI Elite Final.[1] More recently, on May 4, 2019, BYU won its first-ever National Title by defeating Virginia Tech by a score of 48–0, to win the 2019 Spring Women's DI College National Championship that was played at Sportsplex Stadium, Matthews, North Carolina.
History
“Women’s rugby at BYU began in February 2000, when Julia Hobbs, 19, a sophomore from Norman, OK, put up fliers on campus, asking girls interested in playing to call her.” “Over 100 girls called,” Hobbs said. Many have since dropped out or gone home for the summer — only 12 girls remain.” By Emily Bell – NewsNet Staff Writer – 31 May 2000. Women's Cougars rugby tradition lived on; from those 12 dedicated girls to a highly ranked team in the nation today (2019). To this day, BYU Women's rugby team maintains an average roster of 45 female students.[2]
Early years
The Brigham Young University women's rugby team was founded by Shane Seggar, who is the son of John Seggar. John previously founded the BYU men's rugby team when he was a student at BYU in 1962. Coach Shane Seggar moved on from coaching in 2003, and John Seggar took over as head coach from 2000 to 2004. Coach Tom Waqa was given the reigns by the team's committee as head coach of the unofficial team, Women's Cougar Rugby from 2004 until it became an official Extramural Sport on October 8, 2015.[3]
On October 28, 2015, Tom Waqa was selected as the new Women's rugby coach of the BYU Women's rugby team.[4]
Post-season absence
Prior to 2007, the National Collegiate Tournament changed the schedule of playing from Friday-Saturday to Saturday-Sunday. This change in schedule and the women's rugby team's affiliation with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints kept them from competing for a national championship because they would not compete on Sundays. Over the next few years, BYU Rugby continued to participate in regular season matches, but they participated in no post-season.
National Championship Series
In 2008, USA Rugby returned women's rugby post-season tournament play to a Friday-Saturday format, and BYU women's rugby began playing under USA Rugby Collegiate Tournaments after a successful petition that granted Women's Cougar rugby club a waiver to participate in USA College rugby.
2010 Sunday forfeit
The women on Brigham Young University's club rugby team made National News on April 16, 2010, when during their quarterfinal match which was scheduled on Sunday, due to an oversight by USA Rugby Competitions Committee, decided to forfeit the national college playoff that weekend in Florida.[5] The Cougars advanced that far in last year's tournament, losing to Penn State, the eventual champion. The team was ranked sixth in Division I and had a good shot. The Cougars defeated Wisconsin-Milwaukee 46–7 on Saturday, however, B.Y.U. did not advance past the Round of 16 that weekend. All 35 team members of the team are Mormons, and because USA Rugby scheduled that round on Sunday, the team decided to forfeit the Sunday game against Penn State.[6]
Results
BYU women's rugby has had several successful seasons. In this past 2008 - 2016 seasons, BYU women's rugby has fought to the top seat in the state of Utah rugby, and are highly ranked in the Nation.
Season
Post-season Tournament
Tournament Finish
National Ranking
Ref
2008
Pac Coast Rugby Conference Playoff
Rnd 32
5
2009
National Championship Series
Rnd 8
6
2010
National Championship Series
Rnd 8 (Forfeit)
4
2011
National Championship Series
Final 4
3
2012
National Championship Series
Final 4
3
2013
National Championship Series
Rnd 8
4
2014
National Championship Series
Rnd 8
5
2015
National Spring Championship D-I Elite Series
2nd
3
2016
National Championship D-I Elite Series
2nd
2
2017
National Championship D-I Elite Series
3rd
3
2018
National Championship D-I Elite Series
Final 4
4
2019
National Championship D-I Spring Series
1st
1
2020
National Championship D-I Spring Series Cancelled
N/A
N/A
2021
National Championship DI-Elite Final 4
3rd
3
2022
National Championship D-I Championship
1st
1
Awards
Waqa, Tom - USA Women's Collegiate AA Assistant Coach (2010)
Waqa, Tom - USA Olympic Committee Volunteer Coach of the Year for Rugby (2011)[7]
Waqa, Tom - USA Olympic Committee National Volunteer Coach of the Year (2011)[8]
Gray, Jordan - Rugby Breakdown's College Player of the Year (2016)[9]
Jordan Gray - 2016–present, USA Women's National Team 7s, 2015 CAN-AM Women's Rugby Series, Canada and 2016 Women's Rugby Super Series in Salt Lake City, Utah[10] and November 2016 France Tour.[11]
Rebekah Boaz Hebdon - USA Women's National Team 15s - November 2016 France Tour.
Rebekah Siebach - 2013 and 2014 USA Women's 7s Team, World Rugby Women's Sevens Series.
^Finlan, Jackie (June 14, 2016). "Awards: College Player of the Year". Rugby Breakdown Press Release. Rugby Breakdown News. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
