Covid-19 canceled spring rugby just as the Baldwin Wallace University (BWU) women’s rugby team was emerging from dormancy. Located in Berea, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, the program shed its social standing on campus and now has a structure in place that will support continued growth. When the Yellow Jackets do return to the pitch, the school, which enrolls approximately 3,100 undergrads, will be competing in NSCRO’s Ohio Valley conference. [Photos: Christine Varga]
BWU added men’s rugby in 2011. As on-campus interest built, the women’s team was introduced as an “add-on” to the men’s program in 2014. The team was more social in nature and didn’t have a coach, and the student-led group fizzled out of existence – that is, until Anna Schubert enrolled.
Schubert spent four years watching her older sister represent the St. Joseph Academy rugby team and picked up the family torch in 2014 as a high school freshman.
BWU men’s team / Photo: Christine Varga
“The sport offered me a chance to destress and to let out frustrations,” the scrumhalf recounted first impressions of rugby. “It taught me that hard work pays off. The sport taught me boldness, taught me skill, helped me grow stronger, and helped me meet people that I would later call my best friends. It was especially fun when I was able to play alongside my younger sister. All three of us bonded over this sport.”
Schubert enrolled at Baldwin Wallace in fall 2018 and was disappointed to find that there was no rugby team. As freshman year evolved, her desire to play grew, and she eventually reached out to BWU Assistant Recreation Director Christine Cancian, whose daughter, Molly, is an elite rugby player. The duo constructed a plan to reintroduce women’s rugby to BWU, and then got to work.
Cancian connected with Mark Montgomery, who has been coaching high school girls’ rugby for five years. He got his start with Dan Prater and the Brunswick Valkyries, and then apprenticed under Jaime Cleary (former St. Joe’s head coach) with the Ohio Celtic Elite before taking over the girls’ select side. His wife is also an alumna of the Jaguars rugby team. Montgomery gladly accepted the opportunity for a new challenge and started working with Schubert in summer 2019.
Anna Schubert / Photo: Christine Varga
“Anna is the one who put this all in motion. She has been like an assistant coach throughout this process,” Montgomery spoke to roles. “Christine does most of the communication with on-campus staff. She’s a positive voice for rugby, as most don’t have a good understanding of the sport.”
“[Coach Montgomery and I] discussed ideas of how to get people involved and the leadership role that I would need to take on,” club president Schubert explained. “When I came back to school in the fall, I attended the school’s activity fair and the recreation club sports fair to get people interested. I also organized introductory rugby practices with the men’s team to introduce people to the sport.”
As the numbers arrived, Schubert and four teammates formed an executive board and together they created a team charter. They had a faculty advisor and coaches in place, and organized team events. When the team was ready to start training, there was already equipment on campus along with many other benefits that build an attractive program.
Photo: Christine Varga
“Baldwin Wallace does a good job of taking care of clubs and sports teams,” Montgomery said. “And we do have the luxury of being an Olympic club sport, which separates us from general clubs on campus. We have the ability to have a set budget.
“Our transportation is covered,” the coach continued. “We have a grass field for conditioning and running plays, and it’s right in front of the student dorms, so that helps rugby be more visible on campus. We have a full-size turf field with goal posts, scoreboard, press box, stands, a stadium where varsity sports play as well. We have use of the indoor facility at Lou Higgins Rec Center, which has a weight room, fitness center, 200-meter track, multi-purpose room we use for meetings, a pool, classrooms. … Speaking with other teams in the conference nearby, they’ve been saying we’re way ahead of where a first-year club would be.”
Montgomery indicated that the team had 16 active players for the spring, two of which had rugby experience. The plan was to train all season and play some 7s to build that experience base. The Yellow Jackets were one week out from their first scrimmage against Wooster College when the Covid-19 cancelations hit.
Jill Wood / Photo: Christine Varga
“I was shocked how much the girls really knew about the sport after just a month’s load of research,” Montgomery said of the players’ aptitude for new concepts. “They picked it up quickly.
“Jill [Wood], who is part of the executive board,” the coach said of players to watch. “She’s one of those players who transitioned from basketball, and during the first couple of practices, we could definitely see the athletic ability. She’s got a quick step and a good size on her that you want to see out of an eightman. And behind closed doors, she’s done a lot of research on the game and picked it up fast. I’m looking forward to seeing her in action on the field.”
Should the fall rugby season evolve on schedule, Baldwin Wallace will compete as a member of the NSCRO Ohio Valley conference. The league involves small schools all within two hours’ drive, and has 7s and 15s options. Until then, the team is staying in touch with online workout sessions and bi-weekly check-ins, and Montgomery is recruiting daily.
Photo: Christine Varga
“We’re definitely recruiting incoming freshmen for this year,” Montgomery said of fall 2020. “We’re looking for impactful people who see what we’re doing here and want to help re-establish the team on campus.”
Molly Cancian is just one incoming freshman for fall 2020, and Montgomery indicated that the other recruits are from out-of-state.
Schubert is also busy plotting next steps for the team. When school resumes, the 19-year-old will be a junior in pursuit of a degree in communication sciences and disorders, as well as club president.
“The long-term goal is to eventually have rugby become a varsity sport at BW,” the 19-year-old forecasted. “The short-term goals consist of gaining more attention on campus, growing the team, and playing in the fall 15s season.”
Photo: Christine Varga
Schubert listed plans for more social events as a team and with the men’s program, which builds more of a community on campus. Recruitment and student outreach will remain an important focus, as will dedication to training.
“One thing that was extremely important to the Jaguars team was the idea that we were not only a team, but a family,” Schubert reflected on her rugby origin. “I really would like to bring this forward into the BW team. It helps create stronger bonds and also a stronger team overall. If the team is close in this way, it will help each of us push each other to become better players and better teammates.”