Women’s Rugby Concludes Another Season as National Contender
Lee University’s Women’s Rugby Team recently placed second in the small college division of the Collegiate Rugby Championship 7s, which took place at the end of April. This achievement was preceded by taking second at the 15s national championship in December, as well.
The team started the Collegiate Rugby Championship 7s nationals by shutting out Colorado College with a score of 24-0, followed by a 22-0 shutout against Marywood University. These two pool play games guaranteed the Lady Flames a spot in the Final Four.
Going into the semifinals, the Lady Flames faced St. Bonnaventure University, a hard-fought game that finished with a score of 22-10 and secured the team a place in the National Championship. In the championship, the Lady Flames took on Endicott College for the second time this season. Endicott scored in the final 30 seconds, breaking the game’s tie and claiming the championship.
The Lady Flames’ second-place finish wrapped up the team’s successful season, finishing with a regular season record of 26-3.
Upon the season’s end, Head Coach Chris Martin stepped down from his position, which he also held during the 2015-16 season. In 2016, he assumed the position of assistant coach and became head coach again in 2020. Prior to coaching, Martin played for Lee’s Men’s Rugby Team for five years as a student.
“Coaching Lee Women’s Rugby has been a privilege and a responsibility,” said Martin. “With a history of dominant winning seasons, coming out of Covid and recapturing that momentum with only a handful of players who were around pre-Covid was a tremendous accomplishment for this program. Every team is distinctly different, but all the players have always been absolute try-hards, and I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
For the next year, Martin plans to continue coaching the Chattanooga Men’s Club program and the USA Rugby South Women’s Team.
“These ladies have represented Lee extremely well, on and off the field,” said Kevin Hudson, director of campus recreation. “Not only are they the most successful club team at Lee, but their consistent rankings and top finishes in national events have made them one of the top programs in the country. This has been about more than just rugby for our outstanding coaches and players, and we could not be prouder of them.”
For more information about the Women’s Rugby Team, contact Hudson at [email protected].
