About four seasons after taking the leap from Div. III to Div. II, the Oswego State Black Widows women’s rugby team made noise, dominating play in the NSCRO rugby conference. After years of struggling, the Black Widows ran the table in the regular season, going undefeated in four regular season games this year. Perhaps the most astonishing number is the combined score of the four games; the Black Widows outscored their opposition 153-5. The five points came on the only try Oswego State gave up all season to Union College. The defense was suffocating all season long, and, aside from talent, its mindset is a crucial part of its success. The defense was a relentless bunch who took it personal when the opposition came their way.
“When people come at us as a defense, we don’t want them getting past us,” wing-select Kayla Mazurkiewicz said. “[So we say,] ‘what are we gonna do about it?’”
What the team did was an incredible feat that propelled it to nationals in Findlay, Ohio. In the first nationals contest, Oswego State’s dominance continued. It handled The College of Wooster with ease, taking it down by a score of 75-0. In the central region finals, the Black Widows lost a closely fought game in overtime to Minnesota State University at Moorhead by a score of 8-5. Despite the loss, the club was ecstatic with its season.
“Getting to the elite eight this year was far beyond what we’d dreamed of for this season,” faculty advisor Toby Malone said.
Prior to this season, the club had trouble winning games, but it was still impressive given its situation. Until Malone came around, the program did not have a full-time advisor, but Malone brings much more to the table. Growing up in Southwestern Australia, Malone has played rugby for over 30 years. He played through college and continues to play to this day. The breadth of knowledge Malone provides is invaluable, especially for a sport that is not common in high schools across the United States. Although Malone is a great asset to the program, he allows the team to run itself. The squad has two captains and two co-captains called selects who run practices, schematics and lineups.
“I am not officially the coach… and I want to make it clear that the captains are the ones driving [the team] forward,” Malone said. “I am able to bring in a more complicated concept from rugby they maybe didn’t know… I’ve seen real improvement and I think the main reason we improved so much is that everyone has been so open to getting better.”
Slight alterations in the drills and set plays do not automatically yield results of this magnitude. Hard work and natural athleticism are vital to a rugby team and this year, the women’s team added over 10 rookies, many of whom became key contributors by the end of the year.
“We were really blessed this year where we had a really [strong] rookie class,” Malone said. “[They are all] really talented, dedicated rookies [who have] all come in and really made a big difference.”
Aside from their talent, team president, Sabrina Shortall, commended the young class for their hard work.
“We had, I think, 25 new members, and some of them were even starters in our [nationals] games in Ohio,” Shortall said. “To see how quickly they were able to pick up the game and not give up on it [was great].”
Perhaps the most impressive part about the Black Widows is that most, if not all, of the players did not play a single minute of rugby prior to college. As a result, the upperclassmen have to work much closer with the rookies in comparison to more common sports like soccer or hockey.
“There’s an amazing mentorship program with the seniors taking the rookies under their wings,” Malone said. “[They teach] them fundamentals–not just the laws of the game, but also how to throw the ball, how to make a tackle and how to take a tackle.”
This type of mentorship has bread a closeness that many on the team, like Shortall, believe is unique to the Black Widows.
“I look back and I don’t think I would have had the experience I had at Oswego without rugby,” Shortall said. “The girls are just so tight knit and such a family…To see that even when you’re losing, you still care about each other…that’s something I am really proud of.”
Photo provided by Sabrina Shortall
