Kutztown Women's Rugby - "Saturday's a Rugby Day"

Blood, sweat, and nerves of steel - that's what it takes to play women's rugby. Kutztown University fields a solid rugby team with strong interest in the sport and a great show of the athletes' dedication and determination for its demands.

The Kutztown Women's Rugby team is a rugby club comprised of women who are students at Kutztown University. The Golden Bears, the school mascot, give competitors a reason to worry. Kutztown rugby players (aka: ruggers) know their stuff and they are not afraid to get physical on the field.

The club is recognized as a red member of the East Pennsylvania Rugby Union (EPRU) Women's College Red Division. Team colors are maroon and gold, and the team motto is: "You might be tough but we are crazy," as uttered by rugby player Sandi Carretero, who serves as the team's Match Secretary. (A match secretary sets up both home and away rugby matches and signs the team up for tournaments throughout the fall and spring seasons.)

With no officially employed coach, player Mary Merlo stepped up to fill the big shoes. During the 2005-2006 academic year, she received coaching assistance from fellow team captains, Kerryn Winiesky and Andrea Kocher.

"Our team's strength is that we work together," Mary Merlo said.

"The way we get geared up for a game is called positive game," teammate Gillian Forlini said. "We go around in a circle and say something that we should do during the game... for example, look when passing the ball."

Some of the Kutztown Women's Rugby traditions include team dinners on Fridays, keg + eggs, breakfast + braids, rugby formal, and rookie appreciate week.

The team's record for the fall 2005 season resounded with 7-0 in their division. Teammates agreed that this particular season, going undefeated, punctuated their rugby team's bests to date. Another honor, EPRU Division II Champions for Fall 2005. In the same season, the Golden Bears went 7-1 outside their division.

The season's success continued when Mary Merlo and Kerryn Winiesky were named rugby All Stars.

"The team does a great job with bringing everyone together," Forlini said. "No one is out of the loop. They do a great job with uniting the team as one. And they make everyone feel important and part of the team."

Kutztown Women's Rugby practices on the north side of campus, behind the baseball fields. Interested Kutztown University students should contact club president Christina Stadlin at cstad004@kutztown.edu.