DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) – The Palmer College women’s rugby team was established in 2004 and has become a consistent power in the Midwest.

The club has won the last two Midwest Rugby Union championships and reached the United States Rugby Club National Championships for the first time in 2022.

“Normally with Palmer we struggle a bit with numbers in general, so we’re continually recruiting,” Palmer Women’s Rugby head coach Alex Lourens said. “A lot of people think we’re just a school and not an open club, so it’s hard to convince people to join us, but the girls who are on this team this year are very dedicated. They work hard. They must always adopt my attitude.

Some players are new to the sport, while others have been with the team for more than three years.

“I didn’t even know rugby was a sport until I got here,” said Taylor Briehl, a three-year Palmer rugby player. “I actually had a friend my first quarter here at Palmer who knew she was going to play right away, and I was like, I don’t know what that is. She was just like, well, come to a game and watch, and I was always like, wow, I don’t know, that seems pretty intense.

“I played rugby in high school and then club,” said Heather Ritchie, a rugby player at Palmer for three years. “I played provincially for a year and then played at university. Then I came to Palmer because they had a chiropractic program and a rugby program.

First year rugby player Kenzy Reilley joined the team after attending a club fair and their first meeting.

“Actually, what sold me on the sport was the community,” Reilley said. “These girls play just like family, and they welcome you, and they’re willing to take their knowledge and pass it on to you, and make you continue to grow, not only as an athlete, but as a community with all these other women.

The players share their advice with women who want to start playing rugby.

“Don’t be afraid to take a leap of faith,” Briehl said. “Especially in a sport like rugby, there is a position on the field for every body type, every elderly person. Honestly, it’s so inclusive that you’ll feel at home no matter what.

“It’s going to be scary, like everyone who comes in and starts, most of them have never played before,” Ritchie said. “I’m just trying to get them, you’re going to be confused, you’re going to make mistakes. Everything will be fine. Rugby is a very complicated game.

“The more I gave, the more I took out to improve my athletic abilities in the community and, you know, to expand my athletic horizons,” Reilley said. “You know, we have so many sports that we can play, but to be able to, you know, play a new one, it’s really amazing.”

The club will travel to Michigan this weekend to face Grand Rapids in the second round of the playoffs.

Copyright 2024 KWQC. All rights reserved.