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Former Bears Lead US Women's Rugby Squad
Stephanie Bruce '04 just missed out on playing college rugby matches with Emilie Bydwell '08 when she was at Brown, but she did get the chance to take the field with her during the team's trip to Uganda in 2006.
"She was a talented athlete and she was really interested in the game," said Bruce. "She was just a baby then but I knew she was going to accomplish a lot."
There's no question that Bruce was right. Bydwell, who started playing rugby in high school in Canada, earned All-American honors three times at Brown and was the Collegiate Player of the Year in 2007. She led Brown to the semifinals of the National Guard Division I Women's Collegiate Playoffs in her senior year, the best finish in the history of the program.
Bydwell and Bruce both recently represented the United States at the Nations Cup, a five-team tournament hosted by Canada. Facing her native country in the red, white and blue colors of her adopted one, Bydwell, who can play for the U.S. because she has lived here for more than 36 months, made one of the biggest plays in U.S. women's rugby history, scoring the game's winning try as time expired, hoisting the U.S. to a 15-10 win over Canada.
"It didn't feel real," said Bydwell. "All my teammates were saying ‘Our Canadian beat the Canadian team.' Even though I'm Canadian, representing the U.S. with this team feels right."
While Bydwell's personal drama played an interesting role in the victory, the real story was that it gave the U.S. an opportunity to finish in the top two in the competitive five-team Nations Cup. Three days later, a 15-15 tie with France cemented a second-place finish behind England, the second-ranked team in the world.
"We exceeded our own expectations," said Bruce. "The team really gelled, and there's still room to improve. It's a really great feeling to know that we finished second and we're still not at our best."
Seeing her former players go on to succeed on the international stage is a source of great pride for Brown women's rugby coach Kerri Heffernan, who says the U.S. coaches have told her they are eager to bring on more Brown women's rugby players because of how successful and coachable Bydwell and Bruce have been.
"They were such wonderful players that were so instrumental in Brown's success," said Heffernan. "They are just wonderful women as well as terrific rugby players."
The duo hopes to continue to put U.S. women's rugby on the map next year in England at the World Cup. In 2006, the U.S. finished 2-0-1 in pool play, but finished just one point behind France for a spot in the semifinals. The squad claimed fifth place with wins over Australia and Scotland, but Bydwell and Bruce have their sights aimed a little higher after the results at the Nations Cup.
"Our confidence is through the roof," said Bydwell. "No one thought that the U.S. would finish second in that tournament. Playing so well showed us what we can do and that we can reach any goal we set for ourselves."
Brown's women's rugby team, which has advanced to the semifinal round of the National Guard Division I Women's Collegiate Championship in each of the last two years, will begin defend its Northeast Rugby Football Union title starting this weekend. Brown faces UConn in the quarterfinal round, with the winner advancing to the semifinal round next weekend. The top three teams in the tournament will earn a spot in the national championship field.