UNews - rugby player

Horns rugby bolsters lineup

trevor.kenney — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 16:13:18 +0000

The five-time Canada West champion ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women' s rugby team has retooled for the 2011 Canada West season with the addition of six new recruits, five of which come to the 'Horns with national team experience.

Head Coach Neil Langevin welcomed Cassandra Orr, Bailey Campbell, Sarah Gordon, Ashley Delaney, Kayla Moleschi and Meghan Wellis to cmapus this week. Orr, Campbell, Gordon and Delaney all represented Canada this summer with the Under 20 squad coached by Langevin, while Moleschi has suited up with the Canada U20 and Senior Sevens side.

Orr comes to the Horns from the highly successful Vulcan Country Central High School squad that won the South Zone title and was a provincial finalist.

"Cassandra is the fittest rugby player in Canada and will benefit from a great work ethic," says Langevin. "Her determination and ability to score tries will be a benefit for the Horns."

Also a member of the Country Central High School team in Vulcan, Campbell, a fly half and centre, makes the trek down Highway 23 to Lethbridge.

"Bailey Campbell has been part of a great program in Vulcan under the coaching of John and Angie Seaman," says Langevin. "Her patience and defensive ability will be great building blocks as she develops at the university level."

Gordon, who can play both scrum half and fly half positions, comes to the 'Horns from Surrey, B.C. In addition to playing with the U20 Canadian team, Gordon has also suited up for the BC U18 squad.

"Sarah Gordon is a smart rugby player who is a student of the game," says Langevin. "With increasing physical capabilities she is sure to be an integral part of the Horns for the next five years."

Delaney also comes to the Horns with provincial team experience, having played with the Alberta U18 side this year. The Calgary native can play both at prop or lock.

"A highly recruited youngster, Ashley combines size and athleticism," says Langevin. "She will be counted upon to play in the tight five and to improve her physical presence on the field. As she does improve she will be a headache for other Canada West teams for a long time."

A member of the BC U23 team that captured the National Championship this summer, Moleschi joins the 'Horns program with an impressive resume. The fullback has seen time with both the U20 Canadian team and with the senior Sevens.

"Kayla has performed well for Canada U20 in the past and was an integral part of BC U23 program that won the National Championship this summer," says Langevin. "She is poised to move further up Rugby Canada's ladder and will be an exciting part of the Horns this year."

Another fullback, Wellis comes to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge via White Rock, B.C. While she is the lone recruit without national team experience, Wellis has been a member of the highly successful BC U18 team.

"Wellis has been part of successful high school and provincial programs," says Langevin. "Her stride and attacking capabilities are large and she couples this with fierce determination."

The 'Horns begin their quest for a sixth consecutive Canada West Championship Sept. 23 in Vancouver versus the UBC Thunderbirds. The 'Horns will host two home games this season, Oct. 2 versus the Alberta Pandas and Oct. 13 versus the Calgary Dinos.

Horns' Willoughby added to national roster

trevor.kenney — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 22:34:01 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns rugby player, Kelsey Willoughby, will join former Horns standout Ashley Patzer in Hong Kong at the end of the month as part of the Canadian Senior Sevens squad.

Following a successful Rugby Canada camp in Las Vegas in February, both Willoughby and Patzer were named to the roster that will play in the Hong Kong Sevens tournament, beginning Mar. 22.

While Patzer has become a fixture in the senior national program on both the full squad and Sevens teams, second-year Pronghorn Willoughby is one of two new faces added to the Sevens team for the tournament. Brittany Orr was also named a non-traveling reserve for the Hong Kong tournament.
A total of 50 players from across the country were invited to Las Vegas for the tryout camp and tournament, with four teams created for two separate tournaments. The top 12 players played for Canada and the next 12 played for the Maple Leafs in the International tournament, while the remaining players played in the open division for Maple Leafs Red and Maple Leafs Black.
Willoughby, the 2010 Canada West player of the year and 2009 rookie of the year, earned her first look at senior level play at the Las Vegas camp and, despite not making the top team for the international tournament, she made an impression while playing for the Maple Leafs. This past summer, Willoughby starred for the Canada U20 team at the 2010 North American Caribbean Rugby Association regional tournament.
Patzer, the most decorated rugby player in Pronghorn history, was part of the Canadian team that won the Las Vegas International, defeating the Netherlands 22-17 in the final. The two-time CIS player of the year won three CIS and four Canada West titles over her Pronghorn career.
Patzer played for Canada in the Women's World Cup of Rugby this past summer, and was Canada's leading scorer and the tournament's fourth leading scorer in the last Sevens World Cup in Dubai in 2009.
With the inclusion of Sevens rugby in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero, events such as the highly competitive Hong Kong tournament take on added importance in terms of player development. The team assembles in Victoria, B.C. for a training camp, Mar. 18-21, before departing for Hong Kong on Mar. 22.

MacDonald to join national squad

trevor.kenney — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 21:24:28 +0000

A third former ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women's rugby player has been named to the roster of Canada's Women's Rugby World Cup roster.

Former Pronghorn Ashley MacDonald has been called up from the non-traveling reserve roster as an injury replacement and will join Ashley Patzer and Paige Knauf (nee Burdett) on the Canadian squad that will participate in the Women's Rugby World Cup, Aug. 20 to Sept. 5 in England.

MacDonald suffered a broken leg in the dying minutes of the 2009 CIS Championship game, and endured a long road to recovery. She worked extremely hard to be fit for the summer rugby season and had a very strong showing at the Can-Am series in Vancouver earlier this summer, narrowly missing the Canadian roster. A recent injury to Marie-Eve Brindamour-Carignan prompted the Canadian squad to activate MacDonald off the reserve roster.

MacDonald began her university career in her home province with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Prince Edward Island. While there, MacDonald was a CIS All-Canadian before transferring to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge for her final two seasons. During her two years as a Horn, Ashley was a member of two conference and national champions, earning Canada West All-Star and CIS All-Canadian accolades during both seasons.

The 2010 edition will be the sixth Women's Rugby World Cup.

There are three pools of 12 teams scheduled to compete, each seeded according to the 2006 WRWC results. After the pool phase, teams will be re-seeded based on the position they finished in their respective pools.

Two venues will host the 2010 WRWC in London. Most of the matches will be played at the Surrey Sports Park. The Twickenham Stoop, home of the NEC Harlequins, will host the semifinals and finals.

Canada will play the opening match of the 2010 WRWC when they kickoff against Scotland, Friday, Aug. 20 at 5 a.m. (MST).

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.

UNews - rugby player

Horns rugby bolsters lineup

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