UNews - Laura Murphy-Burke

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.

Horns boast 42 Academic All-Canadians

trevor.kenney — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 22:56:23 +0000

A total of 42 ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns achieved Academic All-Canadian status in 2010-11, a remarkable 20 per cent of the school's total athletes and an increase of 12 from the previous year.

Every academic year, Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) honours its student athletes who excel in both the academic and athletic arenas. Those who maintain an 80 per cent average in their studies are honoured as Academic All-Canadians. This is an outstanding accomplishment considering the amount of time student-athletes commit to training and competing. Routinely, Pronghorn Athletics possesses an above average number of Academic All-Canadians recipients in the CIS, and this year was no different with more than 20 per cent of the program's athletes earning accolades as Academic All-Canadians.

Of the 42 honoured athletes, the Horns women's soccer team led the way with eight team members achieving Academic All-Canadian status. The Horns women's hockey team and the men's track and field team also had six athletes each receiving the award.

Following is the list of Pronghorn Athletes who are recognized as CIS Academic All Canadians for 2010-11

Recipient Sport Faculty Home Town

Brittney Adams Women's Track & Field Arts & Science Lethbridge, AB
Emily Brown Women's Track & Field Arts & Science Lethbridge, AB
Sarah Gagnon Women's Swimming Arts & Science Fort McMurray, AB
Lauren Smythies Women's Swimming Arts & Science Ladysmith, BC
Megan Bach Women's Hockey Arts & Science Champion, AB
Shelby Ballendine Women's Hockey Arts & Science Quesnel, BC
Becky Heninger Women's Basketball Arts & Science Medicine Hat, AB
Kimberley Veldman Women's Basketball Arts & Science Lethbridge, AB
Jenna-Marie Durnin Women's Hockey Health Sciences Wawanesa, MB
Kayla Hopkins Women's Hockey Health Sciences Outlook, SK
Jasmin Teske Women's Hockey Arts & Science Calgary, AB
Shauntelle Williams Women's Hockey Arts & Science Sylvan Lake, AB
Erika Anderson Women's Soccer Arts & Science Saskatoon, SK
Kathryn Curtis Women's Soccer Arts & Science Calgary, AB
Cayley Fisher Women's Soccer Arts & Science Edmonton, AB
Jaclyn Groten Women's Soccer Arts & Science Lethbridge, AB
Janelle Groten Women's Soccer Arts & Science Lethbridge, AB
Sarah Lajeunesse Women's Soccer Management Lethbridge, AB
Sherry Latrace Women's Soccer Health Sciences Brooks, AB
Amy Schweitzer Women's Soccer Health Sciences Lethbridge, AB
Genevieve Ahart Women's Rugby Arts & Science Champion, AB
Marli Hadden Women's Rugby Arts & Science Calgary, AB
Laura Murphy-Burke Women's Rugby Arts & Science Surrey, BC
Brittany Orr Women's Rugby Health Sciences Fort Macleod, AB
Brandi Van Eeuwen Women's Rugby Health Sciences Duncan, AB
Brett Bromley Men's Track & Field Arts & Science Calgary, AB
Derek Cooney Men's Track & Field Arts & Science Cold Lake, AB
Darren Jones Men's Track & Field Education Drumheller, AB
Adam Manery Men's Track & Field Arts & Science Lethbridge, AB
Kyle Murray Men's Track & Field Fine Arts Coaldale, AB
Nicholas Ontkean Men's Track & Field Arts & Science Lethbridge, AB
David Errington Men's Swimming Arts & Science Red Deer, AB
Logan Whyte Men's Swimming Arts & Science Calgary, AB
Marcus Johnston Men's Soccer Arts & Science Coalhurst, AB
Colin Pattison Men's Soccer Arts & Science Calgary, AB
Tye Silbernagel Men's Soccer Arts & Science Crossfield, AB
Scott Bowles Men's Hockey Arts & Science Penticton, BC
Curtis Cooper Men's Hockey Arts & Science Lethbridge, AB
Andrew Gilbert Men's Hockey Arts & Science Vulcan, AB
Andrew Marshall Men's Hockey Arts & Science Niagara Falls, ON
Julian Spear Chief Morris Men's Basketball Arts & Science Lethbridge, AB
Derek Waldner Men's Basketball Arts & Science De Winton, AB

Horns open CIS tourney with win

trevor.kenney — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 19:49:26 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns (1-0) opened their Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) national championship tournament with a 35-0 win over the host Trent ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Excalibur.

The Canada West champion Pronghorns jumped out to an early lead as they tallied three converted tries in the game's first 13 minutes.

"We got off to a great start today and did well for the first bit to control the game," said Horns head coach Neil Langevin. "Then we got bogged down in some handling errors and some ball control issues. All in all we did enough to move on and we are pretty well rested and fairly good on the injury front."

CIS All-Canadian Kelsey Willoughby (Lethbridge, Alta.) opened the scoring for Lethbridge with a try in the fifth minute. Pronghorn fly-half and Lakefield, Ont. native Sophie Butler added a try of her own three minutes later. Canada West Rookie of the Year Kayla Moleschi (Williams Lake, B.C.) capped off the first-half scoring for the Pronghorns with a 50-metre run in the 13th minute. Laura Murphy-Burke (Surrey, BC) was 3-for-3 on converts in the first half.

It was after the Moleschi try that the Excalibur dug in their heels and showed the grit, toughness and never-say-die attitude they have become known for.

"We saw what we were made of and went toe-to-toe with the Canada West champs," said Trent assistant coach Craig Harris. "Once we got the butterflies out we were right there against a talented team. We'll take a lot from it and carry that over to our game on Sunday."

After the first three quick Pronghorn scores, the Excalibur kept Lethbridge off the board for nearly 30 minutes until Moleschi added her second try of the contest 15 minutes into the second half.

Moleschi capped off the scoring with a 65th minute try. Sarah Gordon (Surrey, BC) kicked her second conversion of the half to make the final score 35-0.

Moleschi's three-try performance propelled her to player of the game honours for the Horns. Ashley Burton was named player of the game for the Excalibur.

Lethbridge will next take on St. Francis Xavier in the final Pool-A game for each team. The match-up will take place Saturday at 8:30 a.m. MDT. The game can be viewed at ssncanada.ca

"We look forward to tomorrow and the chance to play St. FX in what will amount to a semifinal game," concluded Langevin.

Horns roll to Canada West title

trevor.kenney — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 18:45:34 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns won their sixth straight Canada West championship Sunday afternoon with a convincing 41-0 win over the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta Pandas at Calgary's McMahon Stadium.

The game was really never in doubt, with the Pronghorns finding the end zone just 40 seconds into the game and nver looking back.

Canada West rookie of the year Kayla Moleschi broke through the Pandas' defensive line right off the opening kickoff, racing to the goal line to give the Horns their early lead.

The U of L maintained pressure for most of the first half, earning a penalty goal try for Laura Murphy-Burke eight minutes later. She finished with an 11-point day, including four converts.

Tiffany Wideen scored a try just over the halfway mark of the first half, and Juhee Thompson notched a buzzer-beater for the Horns in the waning moments of the opening period to give Lethbridge a 20-0 lead at the half.

Lethbridge would add three more converted tries in the second half. Moleschi touched for her second of the day, while Brandi Van Eeuwen and Genevieve Ahart added one each to make the final 41-0.

The Pandas did have several chances within 10 metres of the Lethbridge goal line, but the Horns defence stood up and turned over the ball each time to keep the Pandas out of the end zone.

Following the game, the Canada West all-stars and award winners were announced, with Lethbridge earning a number of accolades. All-stars included Brandi Van Eeuwen (prop), Kelsey Willoughby and Juhee Thompson (back row), fly half Murphy-Burke, and Moleschi and Cassandra Orr (back three).

The Horns also took both major player awards in the 2011 season, with Moleschi earning rookie-of-the-year honours and Willoughby being named the Canada West MVP.

In the early game, the host Dinos scored a try in the final minute to upend the Victoria Vikes 20-15 for their first-ever playoff victory in CIS competition.

The Pronghorns qualify for the CIS Women's Rugby Championship hosted by Trent ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Peterborough, Ont. Nov. 3-6 as the lone Canada West representative.

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 standing out internationally

trevor.kenney — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:15:23 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women's rugby players continue to make their mark internationally.

Current Horns Kelsey Willoughby and Laura Murphy-Burke recently helped lead the Canadian U-20 national side to a title at the 2010 North American Caribbean Rugby Association regional tournament.

Murphy-Burke drilled one of two Canadian penalty kicks that stood up to be the difference in a 6-3 tournament-deciding victory over the United States. The Canadian side went through the tournament with an undefeated record.

The Senior Women's National Team boasts three former Horns on the roster in Ashley Patzer, Paige Knauf and Ashley MacDonald. That squad opened the 2010 Women's Rugby World Cup in London over the weekend and rolled to a 37-10 trouncing of Scotland.

Both Knauf and Patzer have been put on the active roster for the Canadians' second game, Tuesday against Sweden.

The Women's Rugby World Cup runs Aug. 20 to Sept. 5. Canada enters the event as the fourth-rated squad in the world and is playing in a preliminary pool with Scotland, third-rated France and Sweden.

Meanwhile, the Horns begin defense of both their conference and national titles when the Canada West season kicks off, Sept. 24 in Victoria. Fall training camp for the Horns opens on Wednesday, Sept 1.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge plays host to the Canada West Championships Oct. 22-24 at the Community Sports Stadium.

Canadian side boosted by Horns

trevor.kenney — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 19:27:02 +0000

A pair of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women's rugby players is playing a key role on Canada's Under 20 women's rugby team as it competes at the 2010 North American Caribbean Rugby Association regional tournament.

Kelsey Willoughby and Laura Murphy-Burke helped guide the Horns to their third consecutive CIS women's rugby crown last fall. Now playing for Canada, the duo was front and centre in a 43-0 opening-game victory over a Caribbean Select team and a 62-0 rout of the Cayman Islands a day later.

Willoughby, the reigning Canada West rookie of the year, had two tries for the Canadian side while Murphy-Burke also recorded a try and connected on three converts against the Caribbean selects. In the 62-0 rout of the Cayman Islands, Murphy-Burke touched for two tries and added six converts with Willoughby scoring a lone try.

Canada faces the United States in the tournament final on Friday.

Meanwhile, the Horns begin defense of both their conference and national titles when the Canada West season kicks off, Sept. 24 in Victoria. Fall training camp for the Horns opens on Wednesday, Sept 1.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge plays host to the Canada West Championships Oct. 22-24 at the Community Sports Stadium.

UNews - Laura Murphy-Burke

Pronghorns women's rugby team kicks off season

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