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| Photo courtesy of The Intrepid |
By Maddie Gionet, Features Editor, @MaddieGNA
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. (Nov. 8) — It was a decision Kayla O’Keefe never expected to make.
“My freshmen year, I tried out for cheerleading, and the next day I was so sore,” she said. “I asked myself, ‘What am I getting myself into?’”
O’Keefe never found out what she was getting herself into. She gave up cheerleading and went to rugby practice with a friend the next day.
“It has seriously changed my life,” the junior journalism and mass communication major said.
O’Keefe’s life is not the only thing that has changed since her freshmen year. The St. Bonaventure’s women’s rugby team improved from a winless 0-5 record to an undefeated 7-0 in a two-year span.
Not only that, the Legends’ latest victory, a 12-0 shutout against Plattsburgh (4-2) on Oct. 29, was for the New York State Rugby Conference Division III women’s title.
“I can’t put into words how amazing this transformation has been,” said O’Keefe, a co-captain. “Everyone has stepped up, improved beyond anything we expected and really put their hearts into making this season great.”
On Saturday, the women move onto the quarterfinals of the National Small College Rugby Organization tournament in Northampton. The four regional winners advance to the Final Four in Cherry Hill, N.J., Nov. 19.
The Legends, consisting of approximately 20 female students, now has a chance to go even further than its predecessors did.
“I didn’t play rugby my freshmen year, but our team lost to Albany by one kick,” said Jess Misiaszek, a senior journalism and mass communication major and a co-captain. “Fall 2008 was the last time we went to states.”
Catherine Aranyosi, a junior education major, said winning state may have been one of the greatest accomplishments of her life. Aranyosi added she never expected to play a contact sport like rugby, but it has been great to see the team progress to this level within two years.
“It’s a crazy sport,” she said. “It’s fun to go out there and tackle people three times your size. To see the change since freshmen year – we’ve come from nothing.”
“Everything we learn is either from the girls on the team, our adviser or the men’s team,” O’Keefe said. “My sophomore year, we ended the season with a 3-2 record. It was better, but we still wanted to win. We really used these past two years to rebuild the team to get where we are now.”
No matter how far the team advances in nationals, the women are proud of what they’ve created – a family and a new legacy.
“The rugby family we’ve created, the friendships and connections are forever,” Aranyosi said. “Everything we went through as a team was worth it. Truly great things take time.”
And according to Misiaszek, the Legends will continue working hard to keep its undefeated record intact.
“We will be practicing every day,” she said. “It’s going to be a whole new, different experience. I want to take home a win.”
The Intrepid, 2011
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