GUELPH, Ont. - The 2023 OUA women's rugby season is upon us and the Guelph Gryphons women's rugby team is getting set for the regular season opener this Saturday, September 2 when they host the Brock Badgers. The most successful women's rugby program in OUA history experienced another strong season in 2022, after finishing the regular season with a 5-1 record the Gryphons advanced to the conference championship game for the 14th consecutive season but ultimately fell to the Queen's Gaels 29-24. At the U SPORTS Championships in Victoria the Gryphons closed out the 2022 season with a strong 4th-place finish.
The 2023 OUA season will once again feature 10 women's rugby programs from across the province competing for conference supremacy over the course of a 6-game regular season schedule.
The two teams who finish atop the standings at the conclusion of the regular season will earn byes past the quarterfinal round of the OUA postseason. The conference playoffs will culminate on October 28 where the 2023 OUA title will be awarded. The teams featured in the OUA championship game will also gain entry into the 2023 U SPORTS Women's Rugby Championships which wil be played in Québec City, Québec and hosted by the Laval (Nov. 1-5, 2023). In 2023, the Gryphons will be seeking their 18th conference banner (most recent coming in 2021) and third U SPORTS Championship (most recent in 2011).
The 2023 edition of the Gryphons women's rugby team features a veteran roster full of experienced student-athletes looking to add another chapter to the OUA's most successful women's rugby program. 2022 OUA All-Star and U SPORTS All-Canadian
Kennedy Feasby returns for her third season of on-field action in 2023, looking to once again bring a wealth of experience and skill to the flanker position. The human kinetics major from Port Perry is coming off an impressive summer where she competed with the Canadian U23 team south of the border and took home a professional championship with the Women's Northern Loonies of Premier Rugby Sevens. Feasby was joined by a trio of Gryphon teammates on the Canadian U23 team, the first of which is Waterloo native and scrum half
Natalie Armatage who experienced a breakout season in 2022.
Emily Clark (back row) and
Brianna Martey (prop) for their fourth and fifth years, respectively, after competing on the U23 team, with Clark also having spent time with the Rugby Sevens Academy.
Kayah Adamuszewski is back for her sophomore season at the prop position after joining the Gryphons out of Bishop Macdonell High School last season.
Gerry Atkins, a third-year (2nd year of eligibility) English major from Shawnigan Lake, BC, will shore up the fullback position and bring an extra burst of speed to the 2023 group.
The Gryphons also welcome back several student-athletes who competed in the U19 national championships.
Colleen Wade,
Lindsay Stewart, and
Clara Jackson were all featured on the Atlantic Selects while
Grace Jacklyn,
Halle Woodcock,
Vanessa Skypas, and
Emily Lenhardt competed with the Ontario Blues. The Gryphons also welcome a pair of impact rookies in
Madeline Di Girolamo (loose head prop) and
Adelaide Holmes (scrum half/wing). Di Girolamo joins the Gryphons out of Vaughan, Ontario while Holmes comes to Guelph from Waterloo. The pair should bring both depth and talent to the Gryphon roster in their rookie seasons.
"We have an experienced team that have played a lot of rugby over the past four months which should provide great cohesion right out of the gates," says Gryphons head coach Collete McAuley, who enters her 17th season in charge of the U of G women's rugby program. "With this returning group of student-athletes we are hopeful that the 2023 season can see us expand our attack playbook, and take more risks defensively. With this team's ability to play creatively and take the opportunities presented to us we should be a physical force within both the OUA and U SPORTS. We are excited to get the season underway and meet Brock in the regular season after missing out on our matchup with them in 2022."
The Gryphons season opener is set to get underway at 1pm on Saturday, September 2 at Varsity Field.
