Five years after becoming a co-ed university, few could have imagined that a group of women would form what would become one of the most successful club rugby teams in the nation. Even fewer would have imagined that the same team would continue, 50 years later, not only as a powerhouse but also as a testament to the community that has held it together through every win, loss and muddy practice in between.
For years, Virginia club women’s rugby has established themselves in the rugby scene, consistently qualifying for regionals and placing in national rankings. These are feats that not many programs accomplish regularly, especially not as a club team.
But how does this sort of culture and success come about? The team does not recruit, they do not get to give scholarships and they do not get to spend NIL money on players. The answer lies in the tightly-knit bond they have with each other.
The Virginia women’s rugby team for the last 50 years has been a home away from home for all seeking to experience the warmth and love so evidently expressed on and off the pitch. Their team formed only five years after the University became fully co-ed in 1970. Because of the uncertainty and abrupt beginnings, everyone needed to be there for each other more, and for 50 years their ties have only grown stronger.
“Our lives are the people on this team,”Taylor Wreath, captain and fourth-year College student said.
What separates this team from so many other varsity rugby teams they face is that every dollar is raised through their own efforts. The team gets no Virginia Athletics funding and is barred from using the split-V logo.
Many other school-funded varsity rugby teams do not face these obstacles, but Virginia Women’s Rugby has seemingly endured them throughout their 50-year stint as a team.
Furthermore, recruitment happens not through scholarships or scouting, but through club fairs and social media. The players who join often arrive with little to no rugby experience, and the coaches who lead them are essentially volunteers.
One would think that those factors should place the Virginia Women’s Rugby team at a disadvantage and give the varsity teams a leg up. Yet, just last year, four of their players were selected as All-Americans, and they qualified for the regional tournament. Furthermore, Coach Nancy Kechner was honored as coach of the month in September 2022.
Kechner, who has led the program for over 20 years after playing for the team herself, emphasizes just how close the group is, expressing her strong bond with the team and elaborating on the type of players they are.
“They are really kind to each other, and they play really hard,” Kechner said. “Night and day, all sweet, then beat the crap out of you.”
For the players, rugby represents more than a ranking or scoreboard. It represents relationships that last for the rest of their lives. Many people do come in search of a place to play a sport, but the pattern for the last 50 years is clear — they stay not for the continued wins and success but for the people they meet on the pitch.
Captain Milena “Lenny” Keene, a fourth-year Batten student, agreed. When asked for one thing she wants to remember 50 years from now she did not hesitate.
“The camaraderie,” Keene said. “I don't think I can quite put into words how much this team and this support system means to me. I found my family away from home nearly immediately.”
And through it all — the triumphs, the downfalls and the persistent beginnings — the mindset has remained the same — in everything they do, it will be together.
While others use wins to fuel success, the club rugby team uses loyalty to one another to fuel their intensity, pushing each other in their pursuit of greatness.
“Show up for your teammates, show up for your friends and prove to yourself things that you didn’t think you could do,” Annie Seltzer, team president and fourth-year Engineering student, said.
This year, greatness feels closer than ever, and it was their first practice that made it clear. When asked what their goals for the season were, the answer was put simply — win a national championship. And that is exactly what they are set up to do. The team enters its 50th season ranked No. 1 in Division I-AA, a league designed for highly competitive programs without varsity status. With that shift, expectations for Virginia Women’s Rugby are higher than ever.
Now undefeated, the Virginia Women’s Rugby team looks to carry on its long legacy as they embark on their 2025 season, hoping to continue their journey with a national championship in hand. But through it all, win or lose, this team has made it known that nothing will ever break their family apart.
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