Lander Women's Rugby

Happy Graduation Day to our incredible seniors! 🎓

Abigail, Amelia, Carmen, Candace, Joanna, and Kiwi — we are so proud of you!

From Coach Makayla:
I am so incredibly proud of each of you — not just for what you’ve accomplished on the pitch, but for the women you’ve become. You helped build this strong culture. You raised the standard. You’ve left this program better than you found it — and that’s the greatest legacy you could leave behind. No matter where life takes you, I will always be in your corner, cheering you on. Thank you for trusting me, for believing, and for giving this team everything you had.

We are so proud of you! 💙💛

Standard raised 🏉

Last season, we were 6–14. This season, we answered with a 19–7 record, a 14-win improvement, and a new standard for Lander Women’s Rugby. And this is just the start.

That growth comes from showing up for each other, putting in the work every day, and being great teammates on the pitch and in the classroom. This team is building something strong—together.

Here are the award winners from the team banquet:
Sportsmanship Award: Lexi Zloba
Newcomer of the Year: Gwen Orr
Most Improved: AP Patten
4.0 Excellence Award: Lindsey Pysell, Maria Ibarra, Coriena Hersman, Sydeny Molaski, Lily Venegas
Leadership Award: Kacey Reynoso
Captain’s Excellence Award: Joanna Mora, Rachel Hammelman, Kacey Reynoso
Lander Heart Award: Joanna Mora
Joanna Mora Award: Coriena Hersman
MVP: Lily Venegas
Forward of the Year: Abigail Hales
Back of the Year: Rachel Hammelman
Senior Legacy Award: Amelia Beasley, Abigail Zubieta-Robinson, Candace Lynn, Kiwi Anderson, Joanna Mora, Carmen Spears

Next stop: D1 in NCR—ready to keep building, keep competing, and keep raising the bar.

🔒𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝🔒

We are excited to welcome to our Bearcat family! 🔵🐻😼🟡

Why Carissa chose Lander:
“I wanted to be somewhere with warm weather, and as soon as I spoke with the girls on the team, I knew it was exactly where I wanted to be.”

Welcome to the family, Carissa! 💙💛

Huge shoutout to Dr. Allie Zoda for helping us level up our body mechanics in the scrum! Your knowledge, insight, and expertise as a chiropractor — combined with your rugby background playing at Life — made a real impact. We’re better because of it.

Loved how you broke down not just the “how,” but the “why” — from movement efficiency and body positioning, to the importance of nervous system regulation and proper recovery techniques. That kind of understanding is a game changer for performance and longevity.

Also, shoutout to Lily, Lindsey, and Carmen for showing up and putting in the work to improve. You can tell they’re hungry for the Fall season 🔥

🔒𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝🔒

We are excited to welcome to our Bearcat family! 🔵🐻😼🟡

Why Lucy chose Lander:
“I chose lander for rugby because of the great team atmosphere and the beautiful campus. After talking with the coach and seeing how supportive the program is, it felt like the right fit for me.”

Welcome to the family, Lucy! 💙💛

2025–26 Season Complete

19–7 Overall
7–3 Competitive Season
769–336 (+433)

A great year to be a Bearcat!

Enjoy these action shots from Tropical 7s 🌴🏉🔥

Day two finals at Tropical 7s 🔥

From Coach: “I’m so proud of this group for taking on 6 matches with so much grit. The work they put in on and off the pitch never goes unnoticed. We had some bumpy moments, but they came together, adapted, and figured out what was needed. This team is already something special—and we’re only getting better. Stoked for Fall!”

Match day energy 🌴💙💛

2:40 PM vs La Salle
5:00 PM vs Princeton
7:20 PM vs Florida Fury

One more sleep until we kick things off at Tropical 7s! 🌴🏉

Huge shoutout to the GOAT herself, Coach Lisa Jackson, for stopping by and showing love to our squad — we appreciate you! 💙