1975 Sexist OSU Newsletter
The Old Man, the newsletter of the Ohio State University Men’s Rugby club announced the formation of the Ohio State women’s team. Note the graphic illustration of a female player.
1977 The Pitch
The Tube and the Pitch, two different Ohio State Women’s team newsletters from 1977 show the grassroots organizing, bawdy nature of women’s rugby at the time.
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Support us today!
When you contribute to the U.S. Women’s Rugby Foundation you become part of a movement to support girls and women involved in rugby.
​
We are a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization.​
All donations made are tax deductible.
The sixth Women's Rugby World Cup was held in England, August 20-September 5, 2010. U.S. Coach Kathy Flores was the first woman to be a Head Coach of any national team and the first woman of color to be a Head Coach. Hall of Fame player Candi Orsini, was the Assistant Coach. New Zealand beat England 13-10 to claim the title. The U.S. women finished 5th. The tournament was broadcast to 127 countries
and all 2,500 seats at the opening two days of pool games were sold out, as was the third day despite the capacity being raised to 3,200. The semi-finals attracted over 6,000 spectators, while the final drew a crowd of 13,253 – at the time, a world record for a women's rugby international – and well as a worldwide TV audience (according to iRB figures) of half a million viewers. (Wikipedia)
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2011, England v Scotland in 6 Nations. U.S. referee Dana Teagarden (center in red) is introduced as the Head Referee. This marked the first women’s test match at Twickenham officiated by an all female crew.
In 2013, Anne McClain, a hooker for the U.S. National Team was selected by NASA as part of Astronaut Group 21, becoming the youngest astronaut on the NASA roster, at age 34. In 2018 she was selected as an Astronaut and Flight Engineer on the International Space Station. She completed two spacewalks totaling 13 hours and 8 minutes. A decorated combat veteran, her U.S. Army commitments prevented her from participating in the 2006 Women's World Cup.
Dana Teagarden was the first female to referee at an iRB Sevens World Series Tournament. In 2009 she was selected to 7s Women’s World Cup in Dubai and in 2010 to the Women’s Rugby World Cup Referee Panel. In 2010 she refereed the international test match between the Netherlands and Hong Kong - the first woman to referee a senior men’s 15s international match. Dana refereed three World Cups, Women’s Six Nations, and twenty-three test matches from 2006 to 2014.
The World Rugby SVNS (HSBC SVNS), a series of international sevens tournaments for women's national teams run by World Rugby held the inaugural series in 2012–13. The series provides elite-level women's competition between rugby nations. National teams compete for the title by accumulating points based on their finishing position in each tournament. The 2012–13 season began with six core teams (Australia, Canada, England, Netherlands, New Zealand and the U.S.). The number of core teams was increased to eight in 2013-14 (all reached the quarter final from the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens). For the 2014–15 series, the number of core teams increased to 11. In 2018-19 the U.S. placed second in the series.
The women's 2013 World Cup 7s tournament was held in Moscow June, 29 and 30th. New Zealand beat Canada 29−12 to take the title. The US Women beat Spain in sudden death overtime to place third. U.S. referee Leah Berard officiated the Final. Matches: U.S. v Ireland. U.S. v Fiji - U.S. v Brazil
The 2014 Women’s World Cup 15s was held in Marcoussis and Paris, France, August 1-17. England beat Canada in the final 21–9. The U.S. placed sixth, beating Australia 23-20 in a terrific quarter-final, and falling to New Zealand 55-5 in the semi-finals. U.S. referee Leah Berard was among eight referees named to the tournament. The 2014 World Cup was the the fourth and last World Cup for Jamie Burke who retired in 2014 with a record of 51 caps.
​In 2014, Patty Jervey, became the first woman inducted into the iRB Rugby Hall of Fame. Patty was the first player (man or woman) to play in five Rugby World Cups (1991,1994, 1998, 2002, 2006).
Primarily a wing or outside center, Patty made her WNT debut in 1989 and went on to win forty caps. She scored thirty-eight tries in forty international matches. It’s important to consider how few international matches the USWNT had during her tenure. Her forty caps – a USA record - stood until 2013 when Jamie Burke surpassed it with fifty-one caps. Jamie’s record has since been surpassed by Hope Rogers with fifty-three caps.
In 2014, former U.S. National Team 7s player and coach, Julie McCoy (New Orleans Half Moons, Little Rock Women’s Rugby, Atlantis, West All Stars, and US WNT 7s) and Tania Hahn (New Orleans Half Moons and West All Stars) founded American Rugby Pro Training Center (ARPTC). ARPTC was staffed largely by female coaches and sought to expand pathways for girls and women looking for elite development, touring opportunities and visibility to national coaches.
“Tania and I did our best to provide Female rugby players 15-30 years of age with an understanding of ‘what it takes’ to move from recreational to professional rugby, on and off the field. We are certain that the players from ARPTC are not only enjoying the game to its fullest as they now have Olympic 7s, Premier 7s and Overseas Pro leagues to showcase their skills, but are currently growing the type of playing environment they want to see in those places with an understanding of mutual respect for all.”
(Dr. Julie McCoy, co-founder, ARPTC)
2015 The U.S. Women’s Touch Rugby Team competes in their first World Cup placing second in the Division 2 Finals.
The first women’s Olympic 7s rugby tournament was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 6-8. 2016. In a historic match, Australia beat New Zealand 24–17 in the final. The U.S. beat France 19-5 to claim 5th place.
In 2017, Phaidra Knight was inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame. She was the second U.S. woman to be honored and the first woman of color in the Hall.
The 2017 World Cup Women’s World Cup was held August 9-22, 2017 in Belfast, Ireland. New Zealand defeated the U.S. 45-12 in the semi-finals. France beat the U.S. 31-23 for third place, leaving the U.S. in 4th place overall. New Zealand went on to beat England 41-32 for the Championship.
The U.S. had made it to the semifinals, and I knew our next opponent all too well: the Black Ferns. That moment pulled me back to Paris in 2014. I was in the stands at the World Cup, watching the Black Ferns face the Eagles for fifth place. I was just a fan then, cheering for my friends in the black jerseys. I had no idea that three years later, I would be the U.S. team captain. As captain, one of my responsibilities was preparing words for our jersey ceremonies. Every ceremony was unique as rosters shifted and oppositions changed. I always used those moments to ground us: to acknowledge where we came from, celebrate where we are, and align where we were going. I remember thinking the Black Ferns are lucky. They get to perform the Haka every time they take the field. I had performed many Hakas and Siva Taus in my life, and I knew the pride, the identity,
and the energy that came with them. To me, nothing compares. And I realized — if we wanted to meet the Black Ferns head-on, we couldn’t wait for the first whistle. We had to start by taking space at the Haka. I shared my thoughts with our coach, Richie Walker. He suggested we test ourselves. He would perform a Haka, and we’d see how the team responded. So, one day, in a parking lot, Richie stood alone and unleashed a one-man Haka. We faced him shoulder to shoulder, arms linked, fists clenching every time a wave of energy shot through us. The moment he finished; it was silent. Some of us were crying. Others were buzzing, hearts pounding. We shared what we felt: inspiration, motivation, pressure, adrenaline. Every single one of us agreed — we were ready to run through a wall. From that moment, we decided to take the Haka and use it. To mirror our opponents and draw on our ancestors. We used that moment to honor the players who wore the jersey before us. To carry their spirit into battle.
The iRB has a rule that during the Haka, no team can advance past the 10-meter line. So, we made a plan. We would begin five meters back. Then, on my cue, we’d march forward together until we reached the 10- meter line. When the time came, we stepped forward. The crowd roared. People weren’t used to seeing a team take space like that. Some thought we were being disrespectful. But this wasn’t about disrespect — it was about respect. About answering their challenge. And it worked. At halftime we were trailing 15-7 to the team that became the World Champions. Afterward, a few of my Black Fern
friends admitted it shook them. They said they shouted louder, their tongues stretched longer, their eyes burned brighter because of the way we advanced. We had brought something out of them — and that, to me, is respect. Finally, we added one last detail. We wore our jackets over our jerseys. When the Haka ended, we peeled them off, leaving only our armor beneath. We stood together, united, ready for battle. (Karameli Fa’ae’e, Captain 2017 World Cup Team)
In 2017 Jessica Watkins, former U.S. national team player (7s) and Stanford rugby standout was selected as a NASA astronaut. She completed her first spaceflight as a mission specialist on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission (April 27 – Oct. 14, 2022), Jess became only the fifth Black woman ever to travel into space and the first black woman to join a space station expedition.
The 2018 Women’s 7s World Cup was held July 20-21 at the AT and T Park in San Francisco. The U.S. lost a close match, 26-21 to New Zealand in the semi-final and lost the bronze medal match to Australia 24-14 to finish 4th overall.
In May of 2018 USWRF held a gathering of 50 women leaders in Providence Rhode Island. The two day meeting eventually led to the founding of Women’s Rugby Coaches and Referees Association (WRCRA) and the Annual USWRF Women’s Rugby Conference.
The first half of 2010 Championships were ruled by familiar names, but by 2014 new names began to appear in the Championship finals. The WPL relegation rule meant a few WPL teams moved in and out of the senior club championship as they were relegated out (challenged by a senior club team for the WPL spot).
D1 National Champions
2010 San Diego Surfers v Atlanta Harlequins
2011 Chicago North Shore v Glendale Raptors
2012 Atlanta Harlequins v Oregon Sports Union (ORSU)
2013 No Championship Held Due to Women's League Restructure
2014 Oregon Sports Union v Chicago North Shore
2015 Seattle Rugby Club V Beantown Rugby
2016 Seattle Rugby Club v Chicago North Shore
2017 Life West Gladiatrix v Raleigh Venom
2018 Life West Gladiatrix v Raleigh Venom
2019 Northern Virginia Rugby v Austin Valkyries
D2 National Champions
2010 Albany Knickerbockers v Albuquerque Atomic Sisters
2011 Raleigh Venom v Pittsburgh Angels
2012 Pittsburgh Angels v Severn River
2013 No Championship Held Due to Women's League Restructure
2014 Pittsburgh Angels v Sacramento Amazons
2015 Wisconsin v Sacramento Amazons
2016 Life West v Wisconsin
2017 Milwaukee Scylla v San Francisco Golden Gate
2018 Charlotte v St Louis Sabres
2019 Sacramento Amazons v Harrisburg
Arguably the biggest leap in the quality of club rugby in this decade was in 7s as pure 7s clubs formed and attracted elite athletes (SCION, ARPTC, the Boston Belles)
National Club 7’s Champions (History of Championship)
2011 Berkeley All Blues v Boston Belles (First Year)
2012 San Diego v Seattle
2013 Berkeley All Blues v NOVA
2014 San Diego Surfers v Old Blue
2015 ARPTC v Seattle
2016 SCION v ARPTC
2017 Seattle Atavus v San Diego Surfers
2018 San Diego Surfers v SCION
2019 San Diego Surfers v Berkeley All Blues
In 2014, the Glendale Raptors won their first WPL Championship. Glendale went on to play in the next six WPL Championships (as the Raptors and Merlins). After a falling out with Glendale over gender/financial equity, Glendale became the Colorado GreyWolves, and went on to win two more championships (2023 and 2024).
In 2010, the WPL began its promotion/relegation opportunities allowing Division 1 Teams to join the WPL. The top-ranked Division 1 Team would challenge the bottom-ranked WPL Team for their position in the WPL. From the end of the 2016 Season until the 2019 season, the WPL stopped its relegation as they moved to ‘expansion’; growing the League from 8 to 10 teams, adding Beantown and Chicago North Shore Rugby into the league. Beantown had been a founding team but was relegated ‘out’ in 2014 by ORSU.
The 2010-2019 decade saw college rugby move from one governing body (USA Rugby) to three; NIRA (established in 2015), NCR/NSCRO (NSCRO established in 2007 rebranded as NCR in 2020) and USAR. USAR further parsed the championships into ‘Elite’, D1 (divided into teams that played 15s in the fall and spring - crowning two national champions in one year) and D2. The history of women’s college rugby championships is well documented by Jackie Finlan (The Rugby Breakdown, January 2016-15s; The Rugby Breakdown January 2016-7s) and later in 2023 by Alex Goff.
The Penn State Dynasty: Penn State played in their first USAR national final in 1995. They won their first National D1 title in 1997. From 1995 to 2017 Penn State played in twenty-one D1 National Finals, winning twelve National Championships. From 2010-2017 they were in every National final, winning an astounding seven national championships. They won the 2013, 2014 and 2015 National D1 7s Championships. PSU has produced some of the biggest names in the women’s game including, Kayla Canett (2016 Olympian), Deven Owsiany, World Cup captains, Kim Magrini, and Kate Daley, Tess Feury, Sadie Anderson, Jenny Lui, Devon O’Crump, Maya Bizer, and the most capped player of all time, Hope Rogers.
From 2010 to 2015 Penn State played in six, Division 1 National Collegiate Championship finals and won an astounding five titles. But the game of the decade was their 2011 loss to the U.S. Military Academy (Penn State v Army). Army, led by wing Annie Lee’s first half scoring blitz , had to survive a determined Penn State comeback in the second half. Army stood tall during a number of inspiring defensive stands, with less than a minute left in the match Penn State drove over the line for what would have been the winning try. Annie Lee held the ball up to ensure the Army victory, 33-29.
In 2011 Norwich University defeated Boston College in the first USAR Women’s Collegiate National 7s Championship. Norwich would go on to win two more championships (2012 and 2013).
In 2014 Wayne State beat South Dakota State University for the first, NSCRO Collegiate 7s Championship. Wayne State would go on to play in the next five championship finals winning five out of six national 7s championships.
The National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) was established in 2015. The brain child of Amy Rusert and Becky Carlson, NIRA was conceived of as the umbrella organization for collegiate teams who aspire to ‘NCAA’ status.
NIRA brings together institutions of higher education that compete at the highest levels of intercollegiate women’s rugby in the United States. The Association seeks, to organize, manage, and promote the sport of intercollegiate women’s rugby, and to annually hold a postseason intercollegiate national women’s rugby championship called the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) National Championship.
Led by head coach Becky Carlson and featuring a young Ilona Mahr at center, Quinnipiac University won the first NIRA title in 2015, defeating the U.S. Military Academy. Quinnipiac won a total of three national titles 2015, 2016 and 2017.
The overarching goal of the Association is to help support the growth of women’s rugby nationally to attain NCAA Championship status.
In response to Penn Mutual/CRC’s appalling treatment of women at the 2015 CRC women’s matches, Quinnipiac coach and NIRA founder Becky Carlson launched #HERRUGBYCOUNTS campaign garnering over 10,000 signatures. In addition to inadequate field space and no media coverage, the top collegiate women’s teams in the country were denied access to locker rooms. “On Saturday, the women had to share one locker room, while the guys had three (not having to share with their opponent). On Sunday, the women were not allowed any locker rooms, and the men had all four. This meant our women were unable to shower before our 7-hour bus ride home.”
The 2010-2019 decade saw the debut of college players who years later would become the biggest names in the game. Ilona Mahr helped propel Quinnipiac University to three NIRA National Championships; Naya Tapper was picking up the game at UNC, Cheta Emba was honing her skills at Harvard But the biggest college story of the decade had to be the dominance of Penn State.
NIRA National 15s Championships
2015 Quinnipiac University v U.S. Military Academy
2016 Quinnipiac University v Central Washington State University
2017 Quinnipiac University v Dartmouth College
2018 Dartmouth College v Harvard University
2019 Tier 1: Harvard University v U.S Military Academy
Tier 2: West Chester University v Brown University
Tier 3: Bowdoin College v University of New England
USAR ‘Elite’ National 15s Championships
2016 Penn State University v BYU
2017 Penn State University v Lindenwood University
2018 Lindenwood University v Life University
2019 Lindenwood University v Life University
USAR D1 National 15’s Championships
2010 Penn State v Stanford University
2011 U.S. Military Academy v Penn State
2012 Penn State v Stanford University
2013 Penn State v Norwich College
2014 Penn State v Stanford University
2015 Penn State v Central Washington State University (Spring)
2015 UCONN v Air Force Academy (Fall)
2016 UC Davis v University of Virginia (Spring)
2016 Air Force Academy v UCONN (Fall)
2017 UC Davis v Notre Dame College (Spring)
2017 Davenport College v Notre Dame University (Fall)
2018 Chico State University v University of Central Florida (Spring)
2018 Air Force Academy v Davenport University (Fall)
2019 BYU v Virginia Tech University (Spring)
2019 Air Force Academy v U.S. Naval Academy (Fall)
USAR D2 National 15’s Championships
2010 Washington State University v Temple University
2011 Radcliffe College v Notre Dame University
2012 Norwich College v Winona State University
2013 Washington State University v Winona State University
2014 Mary Washington University v CSU Northridge
2015 Notre Dame College v UC Riverside
2016 Davenport College v USC
2017 Winona State University v Vassar College
2018 Tulane University v Claremont College (Spring)
2018 Vassar College v Winona State University (Fall)
2019 Fresno State University v Salisbury State University (Spring)
2019 Winona State University v Colorado School of Mines (Fall)
USAR 7s National Championships
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2011 Norwich College v Boston College
2012 Norwich College v U.S. Naval Academy
2013 Norwich College v James Madison University
2014 Championship Moved to Spring of 2015
2015 Penn State v Central Washington University
2016 D1 Life University v Lindenwood University
D2 Davenport College v Bloomsburg State University
2017 Lindenwood University v Life University
2018 Elite: Lindenwood University v Penn State
Open: U.S. Air Force Academy v Chico State University
2019 Elite: Lindenwood University v Dartmouth College
D1 U.S. Air Force Academy v Virginia Tech University
D2 Bryant University v Fresno State University
NSCRO/NCR National 15s Championships
2010 Bentley College v Drexel University
2011 Carleton College v Lock Haven University
2012 Wayne State University v Roger Williams University
2013 Wayne State University v Smith College
2014 Roger Williams University v Sacred Heart University
2015 MSU Moorhead v Colgate University
2016 Wayne State University v Colgate University
2017 Wayne State University v Bentley College
2018 Wayne State University v Catholic University
2019 Wayne State University v MSU Moorhead
NCR Small College 7s National Championships
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2014 Wayne State College v South Dakota State
2015 Wayne State College v Mount St. Mary’s University
2016 Wayne State College v Mount St. Mary’s University
2017 Colgate University v Wayne State College
2018 Wayne State College v Lee University
2019 Wayne State College v University of Rochester
In 2016 Jackie Finlan started The Rugby Breakdown. “I formed The Rugby Breakdown (TRB) in January 2016 because I wanted to focus all of my attention and reportage on girls and women’s rugby in the U.S. That’s my devotion and object of duty. I strive to produce and circulate original news, covering everything between high school rugby up through the U.S. Women’s National Team, for the benefit and enjoyment of women’s rugby fans around the country.” (Jackie Finlan)
In 2018, Erin Kennedy, Jenn Heinrich and Hannah Harper founded Girls Rugby Inc. Starting with three programs Colorado, Oregon/SW Washington and Southern California, Girls Rugby Inc is currently in thirteen locations in eight states. Girls Rugby Inc offers leagues and camps for young girls to play flag rugby.
High School and Club National Champions
Fallbrook Union High School of Fallbrook, California (San Diego, CA), dominated high school rugby with eight trips to the National High School Championship finals and five national titles. Fallbrook's dominance is a tribute to Head Coach Marin Pinnell. Pinnell began coaching Fallbrook in 2007. In 2013 she was recognized as USA Rugby’s Female Coach of the Year. Marin, who retired in 2018, was succeeded by her husband Craig.
Established in 2007, Fallbrook High School Rugby Club fields up to sixty girls enrolled in three teams (U14, U16, and U19). Fallbrook has produced eight U.S. National Team players; including two Olympians, 2024 Olympic Medalist Kayla Canett and 2016 Olympian, Richelle Stephens.
Throughout the decade, high school rugby underwent tremendous growth. The advent of collegiate varsity programs allowed high school girls an opportunity to showcase their talents and move into more demanding opportunities at the collegiate and U23 levels.
Division 1 High School Champions
2010 Sacramento v Fallbrook
2011 Fallbrook v Sacramento
2012 Fallbrook v Lakewood
2013 Fallbrook v Kent
2014 Fallbrook v Sacramento
2015 Fallbrook v Kent
2016 (School) St. Joseph v Summit
2016 (Club) Sacramento v Fallbrook
2017 (School) Divine Savior Holy Angels v Kahuku
2017 (Club) United v Fallbrook
2018 (School) Kahuku v Catholic Memorial
2018 (Club) United v North Bay
2019 (School) Divine Savior Holy Angels v Catholic Memorial
2019 (Cub) South Bay v Kahuku
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*In 2016, the competition split into single-school and club divisions
Leah Berard :
Leah made her first international appearance as Assistant Referee for the iRB (now World Rugby) Men’s Seven Series in South Africa in 2011. Based on her performance she secured a spot in the first iRB sanctioned Women’s Sevens Challenge Cup in Hong Kong in March 2012 where she refereed the Cup Final – Australia vs. England – in front of over 40,000 spectators. Later that year, Leah was named an iRB Women’s Sevens Panel member in the first season of the Women’s World Series, as well as during the first year the Panel was established. When asked about her most memorable moments in Rugby, Berard says, “I have to say my biggest accomplishment thus far has been handling the Women’s Sevens Rugby World Cup Final in Russia in June 2013. I also represented the USA as a referee in the Women’s Rugby World
Cup (WRWC) in August 2014, four months after reconstructive knee surgery, and was one of five referees for the one and only season of PRO Rugby in 2016. In 2019 Leah left rugby to focus on refereeing football. She has risen quickly through the ranks as a referee for varsity high school games to refereeing D1 college football games. She is currently a referee in the Mid Atlantic Conference (MAC) with an eye on moving into the Big 10 and ultimately the NFL.
Bryn Chivers :
Bryn Chivers’ rugby career spans over 40 years but he really seemed to hit his stride in 2010-2019. Bryn began coaching the University of Michigan in1982. In 1991 he took Michigan to the finals of the first, collegiate national championship losing to the U.S. Air Force Academy. Shortly after, Bryn organized and coached the first Midwest U23 side and became a strong advocate for growing territorial U23 and U20 sides, ultimately his advocacy and work led to the establishment of a National U20 and U23 side. Not surprising, he coached the USA Rugby U20 Women's National Teams from 2005 to 2012. In his role as U20 national team coach he identified and coached some storied US players. Bryn served as the NSCRO Director of Women's Rugby from 2014 to 2020. He’s won
five USA Rugby national championships and one NSCRO national title. While he’s often identified with college and U20/U23 rugby, Bryn was a respected club coach as well, moving Chicago North Shore to a perennial WPL powerhouse. Bryn is currently the director of men’s and women’s rugby at Wayne State University.
Phaidra Knight :
Before Ilona Maher there was Phaidra – the first true superstar of the women’s game. Phaidra continues to serve as trailblazing, charismatic, leader and committed community activist. Phaidra served on the Board of Directors for USA Rugby. Her US national team career spanned from 1999 to 2017 with 35 international caps. She was recognized as one of the best players in the world in two positions: prop and flanker. She participated in 3 World Cups (2002, 2006, and 2010). In 2002 and 2006 she was named to the All-World Team. She was Selected for the World XV Team to play against New Zealand. In 2010 she was recognized as USA Rugby Player of the Decade. In 2017 she was the first African-American woman and only the second American to be inducted into the World Rugby Hall
of Fame. She played for the New York Rugby Club for over 15 years and was part of 3 National Championships with New York (2006, 2009, and 2010). In 2009, she was MVP of the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL) Championship. In 2021 she served as the President of the Women’s Sports Foundation and continues to serve the WSF on their Board of Trustees. Phaidra has been active in rugby Broadcasting, working with ESPN, NBC, CBS Sports, Flo Sports, and USA Rugby TV. She made her debut as an analyst during the 2017 Women’s Rugby World Cup. She was quickly picked up by NBC and went on to be part of their Olympic broadcasting team for the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics. In 2021 Phaidra launched a new career in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), she was featured in Halle Berry’s 2020 film Bruised. In 2021 Phaidra was named to Sports Illustrated's list of 100 Most Influential Black Women in Sports. She was awarded a USWRF Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025.
Jillion Potter :
Jillion began playing in 2005 at the University of New Mexico, within a year she was a member of the U.S. Women's U23 Team and in 2011 on the Senior Women's National Team. As a Number 8, Jillion earned 21 caps with the USA Eagles 15s from 2007-2014. She participated in multiple international tours, including the 2007 UK Tour (England), 2008 Nations Cup (England), 2009 Nations Cup (Canada), 2010 CanAm (Canada), and the 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup in France. She served as captain for two years and two tournaments during her Eagles career. In 2012, Potter transitioned to sevens rugby, where she would make her most significant mark on the international stage. As a prop, she accumulated approximately 60 caps with the USA Eagles 7s from 2012-2016. Her
sevens achievements include winning a bronze medal at the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens, competing in the 2013-16 IRB/World Rugby Sevens Series, and most notably, captaining the USA team at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where rugby sevens made its Olympic debut. What makes Jillion's career particularly remarkable is her extraordinary resilience in the face of devastating setbacks. In 2010, she broke her C4-C5 vertebrae in her neck during a test match in Canada, which kept her out of that year's Women's Rugby World Cup. After surgery and recovery, she returned to rugby and played in the 2013 Rugby Sevens World Cup. Then in 2014, just as she was preparing for another World Cup, Potter was diagnosed with Stage III synovial sarcoma, a rare form of cancer. She underwent an intensive 6-8 month regimen of chemotherapy and radiation, yet remarkably returned to competitive rugby just one year later. She was one of the first eight athletes to be contracted by USA Rugby, and was captain of the 2016 Olympic team. Her leadership and playing ability earned her recognition as Sevens Player of the Decade in a GRR fan poll. Jillion’s coaching experience includes serving as an assistant coach for the University of New Mexico Women's Rugby in 2010, Head Coach of Marion University and Coach of the Midwest U23 Thunderbirds. She also contributed to the sport as a referee, achieving Assistant Referee level for five World Cup matches and serving as an Assistant Referee at the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens in San Francisco. In 2018, Jillion created the RAN Leadership Development Scholarship program designed to accelerate the global development of women in rugby and maximize the leadership potential of talented women. In 2024 she was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the USWRF and In 2025 she was inducted in the USRF Hall of Fame.
Peter Steinberg :
Pete was the coach and architect of the most dominant team in women’s college history. He guided Penn State to ten, D1 Championships and coached Temple University to a D2 National Championship. In addition to winning ten national championships. The PSU women have been to twenty finals in thirty years, most of those under Pete’s tutelage. Pete coached the US Women’s 15s team in 2011 and immediately began building toward the 2014 World Cup in Paris. In 2016 Pete was an assistant coach with the Women’s Olympic 7s team. In the 2017 World Cup he took the U.S. women to the semifinals. Pete should also be celebrated for his commitment to developing the Elite Coaching Development Program as part of the women’s national team. The program brought coaches to national team camps for shadowing and assistant coaching opportunities opening up pathways for women coaches.
