Athlete of the Week

Sarah Palermo Sports Editor

Rachel Pittenger Staff Writer

In their first game back in the United States after a tour of England and France, the Vassar women’s rugby team clearly did not have jet lag. They trounced over, skipped around, and bashed through the Columbia University team on April 1 with a final score of 54-0, due to the efforts of an entire team of talented players. The Miscellany News would like to recognize the entire women’s rugby team as Athletes of the Week.

There were, of course, some stars who shone more brightly than others, and none sparkled more than Danika Oriol-Morway ’07. The center from Cambridge, MA shot down the field at the Farm for four tries. Oriol-Morway’s efforts were supported by two tries from Michelle Edwards ’08, and one each from Sarah Griffin ’06, Allison Leahy ’08, Anna Markowski ’07 and Tricia Stanley ’07.

Oriol-Morway, who began her rugby career during the spring of her freshman year at the encouragement of a friend, credited much of her success to strong confidence going into the game. She said that they had faced off against “Columbia in the past and had always beaten them pretty badly,” and it was this history that fueled her confidence.

“I went in really wanting to win,” said Oriol-Morway. “I wasn’t nervous, because I knew I would be able to run fast and tackle the [Columbia] girls hard.”

In what might have been a rebuilding year for the Brewers, who graduated 15 talented players last year, the team was still highly competetive, according to Coach Tony Brown. In an e-mailed statement, Brown praised both the talent of the rookie players, and the leadership of the captains, Alison Gaffney year and Griffin.

“Griffin, as captain, has done a marvellous job,” said Brown. “She has shown such courage to come back from a badly dislocated and broken ankle last April, and led the team.”
Co-captain Alison Gaffney agreed with Brown that the team was weaker than in past years, but that “it’s been coming together.”

Even with so many new players, “the chemistry has been great,” said Gaffney. “They’ve created a great team atmosphere and I hope they can carry it through to next year.”

The Brewers’ decisive victory over Columbia was a morale booster and a great way for the Vassar women to re-enter their comfort zone after playing a somewhat different style in Europe.

During their trip to Europe, the team played against strong club teams, facing some great challenges and adjusting to new rules for England and France.

The team and its captains hope to continue to ride this wave of momentum throughout the duration of the season. With continued collaborative effort and growth of individual players, the team will have a good chance of qualifying for Nationals next year.