Team History
1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007
Spring 2009:
Fall 2008:
Spring 2008:
ACHTUNG! The NU women teamed up with a few girls from Scotland to do battle in Heidelberg, Germany during their 2008 tour. Although they lost both games they played there, all the süsse kleine Amerikanerinnen players learned quite a bit of rugby, ate their fill of schnitzle and kabobs, and got excited for the spring season to begin. The Cats ended this season with a 3-2 regular game record, defeating NIU (62-12), DePaul (70-7), and U of C (67-0), and losing to Lake Forest and WI Whitewater. They also earned 4th place at the NIU tournament of champions with an epic victory over Western Illinois.
The cats lost only to Loyola and NIU during this fall season, defeating DePaul (19-7), U of C (22-0) and UIC (12-10). With an impressive number of rookies learning the game during the fall, the cats look forward to their spring season.
Spring 2007:
The NU Women ended this amazing season with a perfect 4-0 record, winning 19-5 over Lake Forest, 19-10 over Michigan, 28-0 over the Chicago Sirens, and 29-0 over DePaul.
After the entire first row, a second row, and a flanker graduated over the summer, the Cats knew they were in for a tough season, and a first game loss to Loyola proved it. However, after that initial loss, the rookies on the team pulled through with impressive ability to comprehend the game of rugby, and some of the veterans learned and played in new positions with astounding success. The Cats went on to defeat their remaining opponents, DePaul, UIC (35-5), and U of C (66-5), for a record of 3-1; proof that they can overcome any obstacle.
Spring 2006:
The Women's Rugby Team invaded Dublin, Ireland for their 2006 spring break tour. They lost to the Irish Army's Women's Team by a few tries, but defeated Dublin College University. The ladies took what they learned from the emerald isle and applied it at home, dominating their opponents. In their first game, lead by their all-star captain center who was selected for the Midwest team, Melissa Odisho, the Cats defeated Lake Forest College, and the following match, they annihilated UIC with a final score of 50-0. Then, in a close match against Loyola, who had beaten the Cats by a large margin in the fall season, the Cats came out on top with a final score of 7-5 thanks to the kick by C.J. Lee. The Cats proceeded to defeat U of C 58-15, but lost to the Will County Morrigans in their final game. Overall an outstanding season, the team ended with a respectable record of 5-2.
An instructive season for the Cats, with a large number of rookies learning the game. The women lost a majority of their games, including those of the CARFU cup, but there was great progress made in learning skills and the rules of the game that would become apparent during the spring season.
Spring 2005:
The final game of the season all the seniors were able to score against U of C as a going-away present.
The women lost their first game to UIC at home in a close, exciting game 21-24. They came back to win their second home game against DePaul in a 7-0 shutout. At CARFU cup, the team won their first game 36-0 against U of Chicago, but lost the second against UIC. They ended the season with two tough losses against UW Madison and St. Cloud State University at the Division II Midwest playoffs.
Spring 2004:
Unrecorded
The team played University of Northern Iowa and Western Illinois University in their LAU league. They lost to UNI in their first away game, but beat Western when playing them at home. They went on to place third at CARFU, with a tough loss in the quarter-finals to UIC. The win against Western qualified the team for the Midwest tournament, where they placed in the top 10, winning their first game against University of Wisconsin at Wisconsin's home pitch, but losing to University of Minnesota.
Spring 2003:
Unrecorded
The NU Women's team held onto their CARFU champion title, winning for the second year in a row. They again placed in the top 12 at the Midwest Tournament, losing their first game and winning their second.
Spring 2002:
Unrecorded
Spring Tour 2002:
The Women's Rugby team traveled with the men's team to Europe, hitting Spain, Andorra, and France. Although they lost each of the three games they played, everyone still had a great time. Check out the tour pictures at the Northwestern Men's Rugby site.
After winning at CARFU, the NU Women's Rugby team went on to play at the Midwest tournament held at the University of Dayton in Ohio. They lost their first tournament game and won the second, finishing in the top 12 of all teams. Ashley and Courtney Koester and Lindsay Hartman (now Lindsay Hagerman) were admitted to the U23 Midwest Team.
Spring 2001:
After a winter spent recruiting new talent and having indoor practices and weight training sessions, the NU women kick the season off for the second year with the Chicago Women’s Black and Blues Collegiate tournament. Northwestern beats Loyola in the first game, with the only try coming from Lindsay Hartman’s 75-yard run off of the halftime kickoff. NU then succumbs to a more-experienced University of Michigan team, 0-12. After a rest, NU comes out strong against Western Michigan, scoring two tries in the first half. Rookie Courtney Koester comes up strong with the first try of the game (and of course her first career try) and the second try comes from Lindsay Hartman with a conversion from Liz Entwhistle. Up until that point, the pack looked fantastic and the backs were meshing beautifully, but the game ends early with NU up 12-0, when the opposing coach calls the game for injuries. Northwestern ultimately finishes 3rd out of the 8 teams in the tournament.
Fall 2000:
NU women play the three remaining CARFU teams to finish up their first league season. For the first game of the season, Northwestern hosts Loyola and isn’t quite able to produce a win. The next week, NU travels to windy NIU and ekes out a try for the win. On October 15th, NU visits UIC and scores 5 tries, three of them from 8-man Lindsay Hartman, and one from star rookie fullback Ashley Koester. The season is capped off with the CARFU Playoffs Collegiate Cup tournament weekend over October 21st and 22nd, where NU falls to Loyola, scoring one try in Hartman’s dive over the try line. In the second game, NU wins against UIC to take 3rd place in the league. Northern takes the CARFU Cup, and NU is proud to say that we were the only team to beat them in regular season play.
After spending one year playing as a start-up club, the Northwestern University Women’s Rugby Football Club is officially recognized by the Midwest and Chicago Area Rugby Football Unions (MWRFU and CARFU). NU participates in the Chicago Women’s club’s annual Black and Blue collegiate tournament, and places 4th out of 8 teams. NU women then began league play in May, beating the University of Chicago 29-0 on their home pitch on Northwestern’s lakefill in front of a crowd of fans. Four of NU’s women: Emily Broniak ’02, Jennifer Deak ’03, Lindsay Hartman ’02, and Tara Harvey ‘00 are selected to the CARFU Under 23 Select Side team. Along with their teammates from UIC, U of C, Northern Illinois, and Loyola, they compete in a weekend tournament in Rockford against Select Side Teams from the Midwest.
Spring Tour 2000:
NU women and men go on their first ever international tour, to the United Kingdom. The tour kicks off in Newcastle, England, where the women fall to the University of Newcastle in their first match, 10-27. In the second game, NU ekes out one try at the end and bests Stirling University in Scotland, 5-0. Picking up momentum, the women blast Strathclyde University in Glasgow by a score of 43-5, in a match that involved tries from seven different players. The team had a fantastic week, learning different aspects of the game, improving immeasurably, and being hosted and entertained by the opposing collegiate teams.
The NU women travel downtown to University of Illinois at Chicago to play against UIC and Loyola. The team then hosts University of Chicago for Northwestern’s Parent’s Day Weekend in October, and come out strong in the first half with two tries, but eventually U of C’s experience proves to be too much for NU’s new team. Scrumhalf Blythe Gore touches down Northwestern women’s first try ever to mark our first game.
Spring 1999:
The women’s team is started by Andy Elliott ’00, the men’s rugby club president, and Mike Inman ‘99. A group of women start practicing under Coach Chuck Hamilton, with assistance from some of the men’s team members, including Mike McNerney ’99 and Adam Steinbrunner ’00 and they quickly pick up the basics of the game. A scrimmage is organized against the University of Chicago, in which the women get their first real taste of the game.
