UNews - West Player

Horns' rugby trio looking for World Cup spots

trevor.kenney — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 16:12:06 +0000

A trio of former ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women's rugby players will suit up for the Canadian Senior Women's Rugby Team later this month for a two-game tune-up in advance of the 2010 Rugby World Cup.

Ashley Patzer, Ashley MacDonald and Paige Knauf (nee Burdett) are all looking for final roster spots on the Canadian team that will travel to England for the 2010 Rugby World Cup. The tune-up matches, June 14 and 18 against the United States, will serve as a final preparation for the tournament, after which the official Canadian roster will be selected.

Patzer, the reigning CIS Player of the Year, has been a mainstay with the national program and is likely a lock to make the squad. She is the Horns' most decorated rugby player, winning three national titles, two CIS and Canada West player of the year honours and is a four-time Canada West all-star and CIS All-Canadian.
Patzer and MacDonald capped their collegiate careers this past fall by leading the Pronghorns to a third consecutive CIS National title.

Knauf last played for the Horns in 2005, and was a member of the Pronghorn group that is credited with spearheading the Horns' move towards national prominence. Knauf, a two-time Canada West all-star and a 2004 CIS All-Canadian, was also a member of the first Horns team to compete at the CIS tournament in 2003.

The Canadian team will face the USA June 14 and 18 in Vancouver, before opening the World Cup against Scotland on Aug 20.

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."

Sports Hall welcomes Pronghorns

trevor.kenney — Wed, 13 May 2009 21:21:13 +0000

It was a Blue and Gold night recently at the Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fames' annual induction ceremony and banquet.

A pair of former Pronghorn basketball players were inducted into the hall as athletes, while another alumnus earned induction for his contributions to the sport of curling.

Inducted into the hall were Dori (Rodzinyak) Johnson (BA '87), Danny Balderson (BA/BEd '01) and Don Chandler (BASC '73).

Johnson was a star point guard with the Pronghorns women's basketball team from 1982 through 1987. In five Canada West seasons she garnered four all-star nods and was named team most valuable player from 1982 through 1985.

Johnson would return to the U of L in 1991-92 and take over the head-coaching role of the Pronghorns. A year later, she would guide the Horns to their first Canada West title and a fourth place finish at the national championship tournament.

Balderson is the most decorated player in the history of the men's basketball program. Over a five-year career that began in 1993-94, Balderson won a national rookie of the year honour, was a two-time Canada West player of the year, two-time, first-team All-Canadian and CIS player of the year. Balderson would conclude his career as the U of L's all-time leading scorer with 2,000 points and have his No. 31 jersey retired.

Chandler was elected into the builders' category for his long association with curling in southern Alberta. Over a 30-year span, Chandler has contributed to the growth and development of the Lethbridge Curling Club, serving in various capacities.

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Horns' rugby trio looking for World Cup spots

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