LONDON, Ont. - A number of Western Mustangs women's rugby players past and present are making an impact on both the national and international scene.
Sisters Laura and Kelly Russell of Bolton, Ont., are both members of the World Cup roster. Kelly, the eldest, is a CIS player of the year while both were nominees for Western's FWP Jones Memorial Trophy.
Kelly will play for Canada while Laura is on the non-travelling reserve squad for the World Cup which begins in August in England, wrapping up in September.
"Because of the structure of our program, which focuses on developing the complete athlete and on exposing the athletes to the right mental, physical, technical and tactical environment, Western has always produced athletes who go on to represent Canada at the senior women's level," said head coach Natascha Wesch. "Western alumni who are part of the national program always have a good career because of their ability to manage themselves and push themselves to excel."
"Many of our alumni remember Western as one of the important factors in their development as a rugby player and person within our global community," Wesch adds. "Our program is not about winning games, it's about developing the complete athlete by focusing on the process, and a byproduct of this focus is a winning mindset and a winning program."
Here is a list of current Mustangs and recent alumni playing for provincial or national programs this summer.
Laura Russell
- non-traveling World Cup reserve with Canada's senior national team (the World Cup runs from August to September this year in England)
- member of FISU 7s team which competed at the FISU games in Portugal earlier in July
- member of Ontario senior provincial program (recently won silver at nationals)
Kelly Russell
- member of national senior women's team competing at the World Cup
- member of Ontario senior provincial program (recently won silver at nationals)
Lindsay Anderson and Rachael McMaster
- members of Ontario U-23 program
Carolynna Gabriel
- Athlete who missed the past two varsity seasons at Western while participatingin an academic exchange program in Germany, but played rugby while overseas
- played this summer with Ontario U-23 program
- returns to Western as a more mature player with outstanidng work ethic and strong skills.
Lauren Congdon
- member of Ontario U-18 program
Leah Lawson and Victoria Hunter
- members of Ontario U-19 program
