UNews - Kendra Reeves

Pronghorns women's rugby team kicks off season

trevor.kenney — Fri, 20 Sep 2013 17:49:55 +0000

For the first time since 2007, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women’s rugby team enters the Canada West season as the hunter and not the hunted after seeing their reign of six consecutive conference championships snapped in 2012.

The ‘Horns will not have a home game until the Canada West Championships and will play all four of their conference games on the road, starting this weekend with a trip to the west coast to face the Victoria Vikes and UBC Thunderbirds.

In addition to losing their conference crown, the ‘Horns also had their 22-game conference winning streak snapped in the process, losing to the Calgary Dinos 31-18 during the regular season. It was the Dinos who also put an end to the ‘Horns' reign as conference champions, beating the U of L 33-32 in a thrilling Canada West semifinal.

Heading into the 2013 season, the ‘Horns will need to fill some key holes left by the departure of five-time Canada West all-star Brandi Van Eeuwen, fly half Laura Murphy-Burke, scrum half Alex Hendricks and heart and soul leader Kendra Reeves. Despite these departures, the cupboard is far from bare with the return of 2013 Canada U20 members Sarah Gordon and Ashley Delaney. Add in team captain Jillian Ankutowicz, Kim Leavitt, Tiffany Wideen and Lindsey Duxbury, and the leadership group will be solid.

Newcomers Allison Toews and Lisa Hildebrand have also impressed early for the ‘Horns.

The ‘Horns' first opponent, the Victoria Vikes, will look to rebound from last season’s winless campaign and welcome a fresh, elite group of recruits to the fold. The Vikes boast 15 new members, 11 of whom competed provincially this past summer.

The UBC Thunderbirds enter the 2013 Canada West women’s rugby season with a new coach in Maria Gallo, who is working to replicate the success she enjoyed as a player at both Guelph ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta. The former national team member won three CIS championships and was named the CIS Most Valuable Player in 2002.

Gallo takes over a relatively young squad that returns most of its players from last season, which ended with a loss in the Canada West bronze medal game. There are no fifth-year seniors on the roster, but there is a large group of third- and fourth-year players who will provide leadership.

The Canada West Championships will be hosted by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, Oct. 18-20 at the
U of L Community Sports Stadium.

Rugby awards a U of L sweep

trevor.kenney — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:36:47 +0000

As 2009 Canada West Rugby Player of the Year, Lethbridge fly half Ashley Patzer's resume is getting longer and more impressive with each passing day.

The fifth-year Pronghorns team captain is in the final two weeks of a CIS career that includes two CIS championships, the 2008 CIS national tournament MVP award, CIS Player of the Year in 2006, CIS Rookie of the Year in 2005, three previous selections as a Canada West All-Star (now four) and two as a CIS All-Canadian.

The third-year kinesiology student and Lethbridge native is also a member of the Canadian Senior and Sevens rosters after playing on the U-19 team in 2006.

"Ashley Patzer has reinforced her reputation as an all-round phenom," says Lethbridge head coach Neil Langevin after Patzer captained her squad to a fourth consecutive Canada West title victory over the weekend. "To call her dynamic would be an understatement. She has continued to be an inspirational leader for her teammates and has developed to be one of the top players in the world."

Patzer had 40 points during the conference season, best in the conference, including four tries, seven converts and two penalty goals. The Pronghorns went 4-0-0, earning the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament, where they defeated host Alberta 30-0 in the final to qualify for this year's CIS tournament. In the final Patzer scored one try, two penalty goals and two converts.

Kelsey Willoughby, also of Lethbridge, added to the individual honours for the Pronghorns, earning the Canada West Rookie of the Year award. As well, Langevin grabbed coach of the year honours for 2009 and eight Horns were named to the first all-star team.

Willoughby, a first-year flanker and kinesiology student, scored two tries and played a key role in the Pronghorns' perfect conference season. She also scored a try during Friday's semifinal win over Victoria, helping her side earn a berth in the league final.

"Kelsey Willoughby had a spectacular rookie season," says Langevin. "Her power, speed and crafty running ability enabled her to be the top scoring forward in the conference. Her work rate is phenomenal and she has continued to improve all year. She will have a very bright future in Canadian rugby."

In 10 seasons on the sidelines, Langevin has helped Lethbridge to three Canada West titles and the last two CIS championships. In 2006 they defeated perennial rugby powerhouse Western Ontario to claim bronze and in 2003 the franchise made its first podium appearance at nationals, taking home a silver medal.

Following is a list of Canada West awards and all-star selections and their respective schools:

Awards

Most Valuable Player Award – Ashley Patzer (Lethbridge)
Rookie of the Year – Kelsey Willoughby (Lethbridge)
Student Athlete/Community Service – TBA later this week
Coach of the Year – Neil Langevin (Lethbridge)

All-Stars

Prop: Allison Lamoureux, Alberta
Prop: Brandi Van Eeuwen, Lethbridge
Hooker: Ashley MacDonald, Lethbridge
Centre: Shannon Court, Lethbridge
Centre: Kendra Reeves, Lethbridge
Scrum Half: Annika Eriksson, Alberta
Fly Half: Ashley Patzer, Lethbridge
Back Row: Ellen McGregor, Calgary
Back Row: Sarah Logan, Victoria
Back Row: Kelsey Willoughby, Lethbridge
Wing: Radha Jain, UBC
Wing: Kenzie Ralph, Lethbridge
Fullback: Karlee Carbert, Alberta
Lock: Danielle Willhoeft, UBC
Lock: Amanda Richardson, Lethbridge

Depth the key to title defence

trevor.kenney — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:04:34 +0000

These Pronghorns are out to prove they're more than a one-trick pony.

The defending CIS
national champion women's rugby team is looking for a repeat performance and it'll get that opportunity on home soil when the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ hosts the national championship tournament Oct. 30 through Nov. 2 at the Lethbridge Sports Park.

A year ago, the Pronghorns showcased their depth in capturing just the second CIS title in the history of Pronghorn Athletics. With their captain away on a national team tour and injuries sprinkled throughout the lineup, the Horns still found a way to win, beating ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Western Mustangs 15-10 in the title game.

"That was kind of the hallmark of the team last year," head coach Neil Langevin says. "No matter how many injuries we had or people away, the group stepped up. This year, instead of being one or two deep in every position, we've tried to be two or three deep in every spot."

An exceptional recruiting class has netted a handful of rookies who have already contributed at the CIS level, including first-year players Brandi Van Eeuwen and Kendra Reeves, who have helped transform the team's identity.

"Our game plan is to still run the ball wide and use our speed but we wanted to address the fact we'd been physically handled in the past by other teams, such as ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta," Langevin says.

Despite a 9-5 loss to the Pandas in the Canada West seeding tournament in September, the Horns controlled the trenches, only failing to capitalize on opportunities.

"That's the first time I could say we actually physically dominated U of A."

With captain Ashley Patzer and last year's CIS nationals most valuable player Brittany Orr back, the Horns (who lost just four players to graduation) are loaded for their attempted repeat. It's a trend Langevin expects will continue.

"With the strength of the high school league here, the program is sustainable for a long time," he says. "Out of our 32, eight of them are first-year players."

That the Pronghorns get to showcase this talent in front of a local crowd only adds to the excitement.

"Our girls don't get a chance to play at home and that's exactly why we wanted to host," Langevin says. "We want to show southern Alberta what this sport, for women, looks like."

UNews - Kendra Reeves

Pronghorns women's rugby team kicks off season

Related Topics

Rugby awards a U of L sweep

Related Topics

Depth the key to title defence

Related Topics