Hall of Fame
The 2011-12 women's rugby team won the first of six total national championships in program history to date. The Cadets won the 2011 USA Rugby 7s National Championship in Texas in December.
Norwich defeated Oregon State twice, Indiana, Boston College and Princeton en route to the title. They followed up five months later, winning their first USA Rugby Division II 15s national championship with a dominant 82-12 win over Winona State.
Katie Hathaway '12 and Hannah Bushey '12 were key cogs as seniors in both national championships, combined with Rose Bernheim '14 and Joya Clark '14 leading the way offensively.
The team was instrumental in the clean-up process in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene in August of 2011. The team was among hundreds of Norwich students who volunteered to assist Northfield residents with storm clean-up and disaster response.
The Cadets were dominant in both 15s and 7s, compiling 13 shutouts including a stretch of eight in a row. The squad claimed their first-ever Montreal Irish Rugby Tournament. In total, the women's rugby team scored 1,269 points while giving up just 182 against competition. Five members of the team were selected for the National Under-19 All-Star championships.
Head Coach Austin Hall said, "This team epitomized grit and a commitment to a beautiful style of play that became the hallmark of Norwich Rugby. The measure of their success is not the final championship match, but rather the 100s of obstacles and challenges they faced along the way. Every meter was accounted for. Every challenge propelled them to greater heights. They set the standard for years to come."
