ST. LOUIS, Mo.—A fantastic first season of 15s for SNU Women's Rugby came to an end on Saturday afternoon at the National Collegiate Rugby Elite 8. The Storm fell in two tough matches over the weekend, losing 42-29 to Northern Iowa on Friday before falling 34-17 to Iowa State in their final match of the fall season.
The team came into the Elite 8 unbeaten on the season, but were now tasked with facing off against some of the top teams in the nation. Southern Nazarene fought hard through the weekend, but injuries began to mount and left the Crimson Storm shorthanded.
In the Quarterfinals matchup with Iowa State, Southern Nazarene found themselves trailing 20-10 at the half, but they rattled off 19 straight points to grab a 29-20 lead. Unfortunately for SNU, they could not hold on as they surrendered a couple of late scores to fall 42-29 to Northern Iowa. The loss left SNU with one last match for the season against Iowa State in the Regional 3rd Place Match.
In the second match, SNU showed grit as they were forced to play shorthanded after injuries left them with just 13 players. SNU was forced to move many girls around and play new positions. They fought hard against a strong Iowa State squad, but could not keep up and eventually fell 34-17 to the Cyclones.
Following the game, Coach Aric Gilliland said, "I could not be more proud of this group of girls for getting this program off the ground, really growing into a team and building a strong culture. They made a legitimate run at a national title in their first year and I believe that is something very special."
After the tournament, SNU's Tristain Lewis was awarded the Heart and Soul Award for SNU. The game ball award is given to one player on each of the teams who participates in the National Tournament. It is given to the player who is an inspirational leader and the heart and soul of the team.
Tristain said, "This is a huge honor! I am especially honored to be playing with my girls. This award definitely took me by surprise. The whole team does a great job encouraging each other and offering advice. I believe that words can get stuck in our heads so I try to make sure we all hear encouraging words during the game and get hyped!"
Coach Gilliland said this of Tristian's leadership: "Her leadership has been invaluable to this team. She is a leader with her attitude and in her effort. She came into SNU Rugby as a rookie and has developed into the type of leader that is rare even among veterans. She is always encouraging and supporting her teammates. We could not be more proud of Tristain and this award is well deserved!"
For Southern Nazarene, they will take a couple of months off and begin preparing for the Spring 7s season held March-May.
