UNews - Brittany Orr

Horns dynasty team inducted into Alberta Sports Hall of Fame

trevor.kenney — Wed, 25 Feb 2015 19:40:56 +0000

They dominated women's rugby for three years, winning consecutive Canadian Interuniversity Sport national championships in 2007, 2008 and 2009. On Wednesday, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women's rugby championship teams were inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame.

The Horns' title run was capped by a dominant performance at the CIS championship tournament in 2009.

The Horns will go into the hall as part of the 2015 inductee class that also includes: Carla MacLeod (Hockey); Kevin Martin (Curling); Bruce MacGregor (Hockey); Bill Warren (Builder); Hugh McPherson (Builder); James (Bearcat) Murray (Builder); David and Jean Folinsbee (Pioneer Award – Badminton); Peter Maher (Bell Memorial Award); Chris Koch (Achievement Award); and Joey Moss (Achievement Award).

Following the program’s first Canada West title and a CIS bronze medal victory in 2006, the Pronghorns returned to the CIS Championships in 2007 in London, Ont. The Horns defeated the host Western Mustangs 15-10 to win the program's first national title and kick off a run of dominance that not only boosted the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's national reputation but inspired a new generation of rugby players throughout southern Aberta.

Brittany Orr was named CIS tournament most valuable player and Canada West rookie of the year, while Ashley Steacy (nee: Patzer) garnered recognition as a CIS All-Canadian.

While the Horns knew they were guaranteed a berth in the 2008 CIS Championship as the host program, the team earned its third consecutive Canada West title to enter the tournament as the top seed. On their home field, the Pronghorns repeated as national champions with a 29-15 win over St. Francis Xavier ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in front of more than a 1,000 hometown fans.

Steacy was named CIS Tournament MVP and the Pronghorns laid claim to six of the 15 tournament all-star spots. Brandi Van Eeuwen was named both the Canada West and CIS rookie of the year.

The 2009 season was truly a special one for the Pronghorns as they went undefeated in Canada West conference action, outscoring their opponents 217-7 in four conference games before winning the Canada West title with a 30-0 victory over the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta Pandas.

The Horns' dominance was cemented at the CIS Championship tournament in Vancouver. The U of L opened the tourney with a 51-3 thrashing of the Western Mustangs before dispatching Quebec champion Concordia 15-0. A 25-0 victory over Ontario champion Guelph Gryphons set up another championship matchup with St. FX. Once again, the Pronghorns prevailed, winning 20-3 for their third consecutive CIS Championship.

On their run to the title in 2009, the Horns outscored their opponents an unfathomable 444-13. Steacy was named CIS Player of the Year, while Andrea Letal was the tournament MVP and Neil Langevin was named Canada West and CIS Coach of the Year.

The 2015 Alberta Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet was held May 29, 2015.

Olympic prize in sight

trevor.kenney — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 19:07:06 +0000

As one of the most decorated female rugby athletes in the brief history of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), Ashley Steacy (neé Patzer, she recently married fellow Pronghorn athlete and CIS champion, track athlete Sean Steacy) is just starting to make her mark on the world women's rugby scene.

The two-time CIS Player of the year and three-time CIS Champion has become a permanent fixture with both the Senior National full squad and Sevens teams with one goal in mind: representing Canada at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

"Thinking about the possibility of going to the Olympics is pretty surreal," says Steacy. "It's a very recent goal of mine and is still pretty far in the future, but I'm trying not to think too much about the end goal, and instead focus on the smaller steps leading up to it."

A relatively unknown local Lethbridge product, Steacy burst onto the university scene in the fall of 2005, being named both the Canada West and CIS rookie of the year, and serving notice to Rugby Canada that she was an athlete worth watching. She's thankful to have been able to use CIS sport as a springboard for success.

Ashley Steacy is a fixture with the Canadian National Senior Women's Rugby program.

Despite taking time off to focus on her national team commitments and to play in New Zealand, Steacy will graduate this fall with a bachelor of arts in kinesiology.

"I love being in an environment that continually pushes me to be better and learn new things," says Steacy. "Being able to compete in my sport while receiving an education has meant the world to me. I wouldn't change or trade any part of my CIS experience.

Steacy made her national team debut on the Sevens side in February 2006 and the full squad in October 2007.

The offensive dynamo had her world coming out party at the 2009 Sevens World Cup in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Steacy finished fourth in tournament scoring with a team best 38 points. In the six-game event, she scored four tries and made nine converts, the second most in the tournament.

Last fall, despite breaking her hand only eight weeks prior, she suited up for the national senior team at the Women's Rugby World Cup in England. The team finished a disappointing fifth in the tournament but Steacy, as one of the youngest players on the team, is expected to be one of a handful of players that will make up the core group going forward.

Starting in January 2012 the national program will be centralizing for five months, with all the carded athletes moving to Victoria, B.C. During this time they will be training together five days a week and attend four tournaments, including a newly created Canadian event. Vegas Sevens and Hong Kong Sevens are two of the other tournaments on the schedule.

After five seasons in the CIS, Steacy amassed an impressive resumé that included numerous individual accolades, but her most cherished memories are the team successes she achieved with the Horns.

"The CIS has given me the opportunity to learn and grow not only as an athlete but as a person as well," says Steacy. "I've learned many life lessons over my 5 years here. Playing at a high level in my sport has definitely been the highlight of my university experience."

UPDATE: Steacy, along with current Pronghorn standout Kayla Moleschi (Canada West Rookie of the Year) played for the Canadian Sevens side that won the first ever IRB Women's Sevens Challenge Cup. The Canadians defeated England 26-7 to capture the title at the eight-team tournament Saturday,Dec. 3 propelling Canada to the top of the world women's sevens rankings. Two other Pronghorns, Kelsey Willoughby (2010 Canada West Player of the Year) and Brittany Orr played for the Maple Leaf side that also competed in the tournament.

Horns benefit from Langevin's stature

trevor.kenney — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 19:39:32 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge boasts some of the country's most distinguished researchers, professors who bring worldly knowledge to their classrooms on a daily basis.

The quality of the U of L experience doesn't end in the classroom however, as the campus is also home to one of the most accomplished coaches the country has to offer in women's rugby boss Neil Langevin (BA/BEd '91, MEd '10). The former head coach of Canada's National Senior Women's Rugby Team has been away from the national program for five years but Rugby Canada saw fit to make him an offer he couldn't refuse recently, and Langevin is once again back in the fold.

Toby Boulet (left), team manager, and Neil Langevin, head coach, have made the Horns women's rugby program a national power.

"I thought it was a great opportunity to get back involved at the national level but not at the commitment level that I had been involved with the senior team," says Langevin, who will take over the women's U20 program for what he describes as an open-ended tenure. At the very least, he is committed to working with the program through five regional evaluation camps this spring and summer and leading the squad when it participates in a summer international tournament in California.

"Helping identify and develop potential national senior players and potential Olympians is exciting," says Langevin. "The prospect of an international tournament this summer and the opportunity to work with potential Olympic sevens athletes was too much to turn down."

Sevens rugby is being added to the 2016 Olympic schedule and Rugby Canada wanted experienced coaches working with its junior players in preparation for their graduation to the senior level.

Langevin's credentials are unparalleled. The only head coach in Pronghorns women's rugby history, he has led the Horns to five consecutive Canada West titles and won three consecutive CIS championships from 2007 to 2009. It's no accident that elite players seek out the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and the opportunity to play for Langevin. To that end, he says the Horns are restocked and ready to take another run at a national title in the fall, after failing to medal at last year's CIS championship tournament.

"We've been really active in terms of recruiting," says Langevin. "I think we've got about 10 players confirmed for next year already, including some pretty high profile locals who are with the junior national program."

And while last year's squad fell short of extending the program's national title run, he was quick to point to how close his injury-depleted squad came to defending its three straight crowns.

"To be really honest, we were only seven points and two minutes away from going to the final with a very beat up team," he says, referring to a tight semifinal loss to Concordia Stingers. "Knowing that and the incoming recruiting class, I'm pretty confident in saying this team will be competitive for the next five years."

It has been a good offseason for Horns rugby on the whole. In addition to Langevin's appointment and a strong recruiting class, two more Horns were named to senior national teams. Both Kelsey Willoughby and Brittany Orr earned senior national team appointments with the Canadian Sevens squad, joining erstwhile national team member and former Pronghorn Ashley Patzer.

"We're really proud of those athletes," says Langevin. "The number is six now that have gone on to the senior national program over the years, either in the sevens or the 15s, and I think it's a testament to the girls who come into our program and take to the environment we have in training."

The quest for four

trevor.kenney — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 20:11:35 +0000

Here come the Pronghorns, and after three successive national championship victories, that means everyone stands up and takes notice.

The Horns, five-time Canada West women's rugby champions, began their quest for a fourth consecutive CIS national title Thursday morning against the Queen's Gaels, winning 15-12 in an overtime thriller. It was the first of two preliminary matches in Pool A, and with the win, the Horns now meet Concordia Stingers on Saturday morning (9 a.m., MST) in a game to be broadcast live on ssncanada.ca.

The Horns are now a perfect 7-0 on the year but it hasn't been a cakewalk to this point. They were pushed hard by ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta in the Canada West final, which they won 18-5, and they'll have to play their best game to win another national title.

Following is a look at Thursday's opening match. If you want a full preview of the national tournament, follow this link. Should the Horns win both their preliminary games, the CIS championship game will be played on Sunday, noon (MST).

Pronghorns rugby player Kelsey Willoughby fights through a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta tackle during the Canada West final at the Community Sports Stadium.

Pronghorns 15 Queen's 12 (OT)

While it took overtime, the three-time defending CIS Champion Lethbridge Pronghorns won their opening game at the CIS Championships with a 15-12 overtime victory. Horns fly half Laura Murphy-Burke kicked a penalty goal in the extra frame to give the Horns the come-from-behind victory.

Whether it was nerves or not, the Horns' offence was disjointed for the majority of the game, plagued by knock-ons and poor passing, but the Horns did just enough to keep their quest for a fourth straight Monilex trophy alive.

"We were outplayed by a fired-up Queen's team," said Horns head coach Neil Langevin. "We are lucky to get a win out of it. In the end, I think our experience of playing tough Canada West games helped us to be calm in extra time."

Queen's jumped out of the gates, scoring a converted try in the opening two minutes of play to take a 7-0 lead, but the Horns would answer that score quickly. Murphy-Burke broke free from the Gaels' defenders 15 yards out and raced to touch. She converted her own try to tie the score at 7-7.

While the Horns held a territorial advantage for the majority of the half, they could not string together sustained runs, and miscues kept the Horns from scoring.

Eerily similar to the opening half, the Gaels marched down the field to open the second half and scored an unconverted try to regain their lead at 12-7.

For the next 20 minutes, the Gaels hemmed the Horns into their own side of the field and the same errors that plagued the Horns in the opening half continued to stall their attack. With time becoming the enemy, fullback Brittany Orr broke free for a 50-yard scamper and tied the score 12-12 after touching down in the corner. Murphy-Burke's difficult attempt for convert missed.

After defending a late Queen's push to force the game into overtime, the Horns dictated the pace in the extra frame, setting up Murphy-Burke's heroics. Taking advantage of a high tackle penalty, she booted home the winning penalty kick from 17 yards to give the Horns the victory.

Horns win CIS rugby crown

trevor.kenney — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:47:18 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns are three-time national champions after successfully defending their national title for the second consecutive year, beating the St. Francis Xavier X-Women 20-3 in the CIS women's rugby gold medal game on Sunday at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver.

The Pronghorns were in the driver's seat all game, as the X-Women, like every opponent Lethbridge has faced this year, were unable to break down the CIS champions' defence once they fell behind. Andrea Letal (Calgary, Alta.), who was named the CIS tournament MVP, scored a try 11 minutes into the contest, and that turned out to be all the 'Horns needed to take home the gold.

"We were really well composed and the girls played exactly the game plan we asked them to," said Horns' head coach Neil Langevin. "The defence has been the hallmark of this group and it's just a wonderful group to coach. We played defence first. We kept the ball in their end as much as possible and tried to force them into mistakes."

That strategy paid off for Lethbridge, as they extended their lead in the 26th minute when sustained pressure in the X-Women's end of the field resulted in a penalty goal attempt for Ashley Patzer (Lethbridge, Alta.) from about 20 yards out. The All-Canadian and tournament all-star made no mistake, splitting the uprights to put her side up 8-0.

Brittany Orr (Fort Macleod, Alta.), also named to the tournament all-star team, provided the nail in the coffin just a few minutes later. She received the ball on the right wing 30 yards from goal, cut back to the middle of the field to beat a St. FX defender and scored to put her side up 13-0. Patzer's conversion made it 15-0, giving the X-Women little hope of getting back into the game against the stifling Pronghorns defence.

Courtnay Malcom (New Glasgow, N.S.) did get her side on the board before the half-time break, nailing a penalty goal from 20 yards in the 34th minute, but the X-Women could do nothing offensively in the second half. They did push deep into Pronghorn territory occasionally but were never able to finish their drives before the Pronghorn defence won back the ball.

"Our back three were important all weekend," said Langevin. "All the girls did a great job clearing the ball and we credit them a lot because they did face some pressure."

Letal added to her MVP credentials early in the second half with another try, this time a 30-yard sprint down the right wing to all but seal the win for the Horns, putting them up 20-3. It was their second straight meeting with the X-Women in the title game, as they won gold with a 29-15 result last year.

In addition to Letal, Patzer and Orr, Lethbridge's Alex Hendricks (Lomond, Alta.), Kelsey Willoughby (Lethbridge, Alta.) and Brandi Van Eeuwen (Duncan, B.C.) were also named tournament all-stars. Asya Bartley (Ottawa, Ont.), Tyson Beukeboom (Uxbridge, Ont.) and Ghislaine Landry (Toronto, Ont.) were named to the all-star team for St. FX.

Horns roll to Canada West title

trevor.kenney — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:24:21 +0000

For the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women's rugby team, it's all about the numbers. Sunday afternoon in Edmonton, that number was four, as in the number of consecutive Canada West championships they'd won. In two weeks, the number they'll be looking for is three, meaning a third consecutive national crown.

The Horns are well on their way to achieving that goal after cruising through the Canada West tournament this past weekend. After throttling UBC Thunderbirds 86-0 in the semifinal round, the Horns rolled past host ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta Pandas 30-0 in the championship game. In keeping with the numbers' theme, the tally for the weekend was 116-0.

"The effort had to be there today because the U of A kept coming, and they didn't give up throughout the match," Pronghorns head coach Neil Langevin told Matt Gutsch, U of A sports information. "We knew that they would be very structured and that we would have to put together something really special here today to get past them. We're obviously very proud of the effort and happy that we got the win."

Canada West Player of the Year Ashley Patzer scored a try, two converts and two drop goals to the lead the Pronghorns to the victory. Ashley Zaremba, Andrea Letal and Brittany Orr also added trys for the Pronghorns, who now head to the CIS national championship tournament undefeated on the year and likely as the #1-seed. They'll be seeking their third consecutive CIS crown.

Sunday's championship tilt was the seventh time in the last nine years Alberta and Lethbridge have met in the conference deciding game, with the Pronghorns having now won the last three battles against their provincial rivals.

Alberta won five straight CIS titles from 1999 to 2003 and six straight Canada West banners from 1999 to 2004 until the Pronghorns took over as the dominant rugby program in the country.

The Horns ran up a 19-0 lead by the half and kept the game under control in the second stanza. Patzer, behind an impressive line performance, was her usual game-changing self.

"I do believe she is one of the top five players in the world, and we're really proud of her," Langevin told the U of A. "She has grown so much in her five years, and not just as a player, but as a leader and as an individual."

For his part, Langevin was named 2009 conference coach of the year.

The CIS national tournament is set for Nov. 6-8 in Vancouver. Patzer and company have two weeks to prepare for a final run at a third straight national title.

"We just have to go home now and prepare to compete for that next championship," Patzer says. "We just need to stay together as a team and stay focused as a team, and make our week of practice really worthwhile."

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 - Brittany Orr

Horns dynasty team inducted into Alberta Sports Hall of Fame

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