UNews - Kelsey Willoughby

Three Horns named to Canadian squad

trevor.kenney — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 18:36:36 +0000

Canada, the defending champions of the Hong Kong Sevens and reigning IRB Sevens Challenge Cup holders, have named their roster for the upcoming IRB event in China, which kicks off on Mar. 23.

Head Coach John Tait, having recently guided the Canadian women to a second consecutive victory at the USA Sevens in Las Vegas, has named a strong side full of speed, power and experience.

Leading the Canadians in pursuit of their sixth consecutive major tournament win will be experienced veterans like Kelly Russell, who played every minute of every game for Canada at their previous IRB Challenge Cup win, in Dubai. Russell makes up one twelfth of a squad that features a dynamic and exciting core of talent. Powerful runners like Alberta's Jen Kish and Manitoba's Mandy Marchak will look to punch holes in opposition defences and make room for the raw speed and creativity embodied in the likes Ghislaine Landry and former ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorn Ashley Steacy.

Steacy, one of the most decorated players CIS women's rugby history was a part of the 'Horns three CIS Championships teams and was a two-time CIS Player of the Year.

Joining Steacy from the 'Horns program are Kelsey Willoughby and Kayla Moleschi, who both helped the 'Horns win a sixth consecutive Canada West title last fall. Willoughby was the Canada West MVP and All-Canadian, while Moleschi stormed on to the CIS scene last year, winning the Canada West Rookie of the Year award and being named both a CIS All-Canadian and CIS Championship All-Star.

Selection for the Hong Kong tournament has been a process unrivaled in the history of Canadian women's rugby. Having assembled talent from Europe, the national club scene, as well as the Canadian university game, twenty committed athletes have spent months working on their speed, fitness and skill at Rugby Canada's Centre of Excellence in Langford, British Columbia. The Canadian coaching staff has been able to gather an unprecedented amount of data on their players and have had the opportunity to witness athletes in head-to-head competition for extended periods of time. Funding from the Canadian government's "Own The Podium" program has meant that Canada's sevens stars are benefitting from the tools necessary to maintain their status as the world's number one team. Such funding enabled opportunities like the recent clinic put on at the C.O.E. in Langford by legendary New Zealand kicking coach Mick "The Kick" Byrne.

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 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.

Moleschi makes instant impact

trevor.kenney — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 22:03:02 +0000

Kayla Moleschi isn't technically classified as a mature student, but maturity is a big factor in her approach to school, rugby and life in general.

The first-year standout on the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women's rugby team took some time before deciding to start her university career. Blessed with a natural talent and recognized early as one of the country's best rugby players, she had multiple offers to attend school, but for her the timing had to be right.

"The last couple of years I've been working and I did some schooling at home before I came here, but now I know this is what I want to do," says Moleschi, a product of Williams Lake, B.C. "I want to play rugby but I also want to get an education. Education is something I want, not just something I'm doing to play rugby."

Kayla Moleschi and the Horns are off to CIS Nationals at Trent ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, Nov. 4-6.

She worked four jobs prior to enrolling at the U of L, spending weekends doing clean-up in the local plywood mill in addition to two landscaping jobs and a heavy babysitting load. It almost makes rugby sound easy – and given her performance this season, maybe it has been.

Moleschi was named Canada West Rookie of the Year and a Canada West all-star recently, helping guide the Horns to their sixth consecutive Canada West title and berth in the CIS Championship tournament (Nov. 4-6 in Peterborough, Ont.). A kinesiology student, she has yet to decide what life path she'll take, only that she wants to help the people around her.

"I really want to become someone who can help better other peoples' lives, like that movie Pay it Forward, I really like that whole philosophy," she says. "I just want to be able to help those who are struggling."

She talks about teaching, working with sports teams and helping children.

"I have so many things I want to fall back on but what I want to do, I'm not quite there yet," she says. "Being a teacher would be awesome. I'd be able to help the kids and then still have the summers to pursue my rugby career."

She's been on the national radar for years, having been a part of developmental and touring teams since she was 16 years old. Just recently she was carded as an athlete with the Senior Women's Sevens national team, meaning she will leave the U of L in January for a six-month stint in Victoria to participate in Rugby Canada's centralization training. It presents a barrier to her educational goals but it's one she's planning to tackle.

"I have three options: to take online courses; an independent study course; and an applied studies course," says Moleschi. "I think I'll be doing at least two of those, if not all three. It'll be a little difficult because I won't be in the classroom but I really want this."

She's found the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ to be a good fit for her, mainly because of the rugby program and coach Neil Langevin's approach, but also because of the welcoming nature of the city.

"Williams Lake is pretty small but when I came here, I found it's not overwhelming. It's a close-knit community and it reminds me a lot of home," says Moleschi, who lives off campus but just a block from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. "The people are really nice and have been very welcoming. It's hard to leave your friends and family but you have to do things to better yourself and in turn you're only going to be bettering them. I really owe them a ton of thanks for supporting me and helping me get to this point."

Moleschi, a fullback, has earned comparisons to star alumnus Ashley (neé Patzer) Steacy, the most decorated player in Horns' rugby history. She's flattered by the talk and considers herself lucky to have Steacy as a valuable resource.

"I get the chance to talk to her quite a bit and she'll always answer any questions I have," says Moleschi. "I'm going to get the chance to play with her on the Sevens team too, so I'm pretty excited about that. They have such a great tradition here and I'm proud to contribute to that."

GET THE FACTS

· Moleschi scored five tries during the conference season and was fourth in Canada West scoring with 25 points.

· Horns head coach Neil Langevin describes her play as, "electrifying" and "dynamic". "She's an all-around force, and she's got hands of glue, she catches everything that comes her way."

· The Horns finished fourth at CIS Nationals last year and are looking for their fourth national title.

· Pronghorns' third-year player Kelsey Willoughby, of Lethbridge, was named Canada West Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive year. She was also rookie of the year in 2009.

This story first appeared in the November issue of the Legend. For a look at the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

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.

Courtney, Steacy earn top honours

trevor.kenney — Tue, 31 May 2011 16:40:54 +0000

Pronghorns Athletics celebrated with its annual Blue and Gold Awards Banquet recently, announcing its Male and Female Athletes of the Year, President's Award winner, Team Academic Award, as well as the respective most valuable players for each program.

Male Athlete of the Year
Andrew Courtney (men's hockey)

Over his five seasons with the Pronghorns, Andrew Courtney not only excelled on the ice, but he was active in the community, embracing the true spirit of what it means to be a Pronghorns athlete.

He was known throughout the program as the first to support other Horns teams and is actively involved in the local community with the Boys and Girls Club. Courtney also planned and executed the highly successful Movember campaign that raised over $10,000 for prostate cancer research.

On the ice, Courtney returned from a serious knee injury to finish fourth in the conference in goal scoring, leading the Horns with 14 goals. He was also 13th in the Canada West in total scoring with 23 points, despite missing all of the pre-season and the first two weeks of conference action.

Courtney finished his Pronghorn career with 43 goals and 26 assists in 97 conference games.

Female Athlete of the Year
Heather Steacy (women's track)

Throughout her Pronghorns career, Heather Steacy has become synonymous with outstanding performances. This past season she raised her performance to an unprecedented level.

Steacy opened the season by reaching a monumental mark, becoming the first woman in Canadian Interuniversity Sport history to eclipse the 20-metre mark in the weight throw with a toss of 20.28 metres at the Bison Open in Winnipeg. She followed that performance with her fourth Canada West gold medal victory, setting a new conference record of 19.82 metres in the process. Steacy was also recognized with the Outstanding Female Performance of the Meet.

Steacy completed her season by then winning silver at the CIS Championship meet in Sherbrooke, Que., her fourth medal in as many trips to the national meet.

President's Award

Emily Brown of the women's track & field team earned the President's Award, which rewards the student athlete with the highest academic standing at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. Brown achieved a GPA of 3.92, while balancing her academic and athletic commitments.

Team Academic Award

The Horns women's basketball team received the Team Academic Award for accumulating a combined GPA of 3.32.

Following are team most valuable players, as voted by their fellow team members.

Men's Soccer – Steve Brown
Women's Soccer – Kathy Curtis
Men's Hockey – Winston Day Chief and Andrew Courtney
Women's Hockey – Shelby Ballendine
Men's Basketball – Randy Davis
Women's Basketball – Becky Heninger
Men's Track – Kyle Murray
Women's Track – Heather Steacy
Women's Rugby – Kelsey Willoughby
Men's Swimming – Jeff Nicol
Women's Swimming – Jessica Kelly

This story first appeared in the Legend. For a look at the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Horns' trio helps Canada to gold

trevor.kenney — Tue, 24 May 2011 17:05:10 +0000

Former ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women's rugby standout Ashley Patzer, along with current Horns Brittany Orr and Kelsey Willoughby, helped Canada to a third straight gold medal in international women's sevens rugby action this past weekend.

Patzer scored a pair of tries and added two conversions in Canada's 29-10 victory over Samurai International in the final of the Amsterdam Sevens Tournament. The victory capped off a run of three consecutive tournament wins for the sevens team as they also won events in Las Vegas and Hong Kong.

Orr played a big role in the Canadian team's semifinal victory over the host Netherlands team. She pitched the ball to a sprinting Arielle Dubisette-Borrice to produce an overtime try as Canada prevailed 26-19 in extra time. Patzer also had a try in that victory.

For a full recap of the tournament, visit this link.

Horns hand out year-end hardware

trevor.kenney — Mon, 16 May 2011 20:55:51 +0000

Male Athlete of the Year
Andrew Courtney (men's hockey)

Over his five seasons with the Pronghorns, Andrew Courtney not only excelled on the ice, but he was active in the community, embracing the true spirit of what it means to be a Pronghorns athlete.

Courtney finished his Pronghorn career with 43 goals and 26 assists in 97 conference games.

Female Athlete of the Year
Heather Steacy (women's track)

Throughout her Pronghorns career, Heather Steacy has become synonymous with outstanding performances. This past season she raised her performance to an unprecedented level.

Steacy completed her season by then winning silver at the CIS Championship meet in Sherbrooke, Que., her fourth medal in as many trips to the national meet.

President's Award

The Horns women's basketball team received the Team Academic Award for accumulating a combined GPA of 3.32.

Following are team most valuable players, as voted by their fellow team members.

For a look at the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

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."

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.

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