As history was made, State High was well represented.
The Penn State women’s rugby team became the first team in women’s collegiate rugby to win three consecutive national championships, a team that includes seven members tied to State College Area High School.
To secure the ninth title in team history, the Nittany Lions routed host Stanford, 38-0.
“Its very exciting to see the local connection on a national scale,” says Bernie Cantorna, assistant coach for Penn State and current State High girls head coach. “State High is producing some great kids that excel both on and off the field, thanks to both State High and the sport of rugby. It is great to see the work pay off like this.”
Five players in Katrina Bodenschatz (’12), Elena Cantorna (’10), Gabriella Cantorna (’13), Sarah Pewo (’12) and Courtney Williams (’12) helped the Nittany Lions reach the final contest and secure the title.
Penn State coaches Cantorna and Jonathan Swart (’03) also have ties to State College. Both were involved in the inaugural boys team in 1999-2000, Cantorna as a coach and Swart as a player.
“With only a short history for the State College program and such great success, I can only imagine the abilities and opportunities for players to come,” Cantorna said following the championship.
The victory not only signified the first time that a team won three consecutive titles, but also the only time that a National Champion did not concede a point in the final two rounds of the playoffs.
Penn State defeated West Chester University, 58-0, the day prior.
“One of the special attitudes of this team is their commitment to excellence,” says head coach Pete Steinberg. “After the West Chester game the players knew we did not play our best and even though we had won the game and were in the National Championship game the feeling was one of disappointment.”
Disappointment boosted the squad for the final match, which resulted in Hope Rogers being named tournament MVP.
“We were upset cause we knew we could play better (against West Chester) and that we would need to play better against Stanford in order to win,” said Rogers following the finals performance. “It was really exciting to see that we were able to play better today.”
In total, Penn State finished the USA Rugby playoffs by outscoring its opponents 293-15.
To reach the semifinal round, the Nittany Lions out-distanced East Carolina 75-10, followed by a decisive victory over the United States Military Academy-West Point, 122-5.
“At the beginning of the season we recognized that it would be a really hard challenge for us to win again and I’m really proud of the players for stepping up and getting to this point,” says Steinberg. “The players that weren’t able to travel are the reason why we are here.”
“We have a great group of players on this team that made a commitment to each other to raise our game and go for history,” says Penn State Captain Kelsey Harris. “We always feel our history at Penn State and our performances are built on those that came before us, but it is special to be the first team to be able to win three in a row.”
Steinberg also noted the team’s efforts in the history-making win.
“This team is the most fit and physical team I have coached,” Steinberg says. “We have remarkable depth with over 60 players on our squad and a number of quality players who did not make the trip out here. The challenge is now how can we be better next year.”
To round out the season, the Nittany Lions will switch gears to 7s and the CRC 7s Championships, May 30 through June 1. The tournament, held in Chester (Pa.) at PPL Park, will be aired on NBC.
Tickets to the event can be purchased through http://www.usasevenscrc.com/tickets/pennstate
