USD freshman awarded MVP at National Rugby All-Star Tournament
After playing rugby for four months, USD freshman Eden Liebenthal found herself in a situation few players will ever experience. She has been named MVP of the National Small College Rugby Organization (NSCRO) All Star Championship in Tampa, Florida.
Bryn Chivers, the NSCRO Commissioner of Women’s Rugby, said in an email interview with the Volante, “While [Eden] is new to rugby, she possesses an instinctive understanding of how to play the game. She is quick, has good footwork, and is fearless in the tackle and contact situations.”
Liebenthal said Chivers noticed her when he was on USD’s campus as a referee for one of her games.
“He started reffing for us, and then coaching… He saw that I had potential and he told me I should go to this tryout camp, so I went to the tryout camp and I made the team,” she said.
The NSCRO Women’s 7’s All-Star Championship is a tournament of twelve teams consisting of the best women’s rugby players from all over the U.S. The team Liebenthal was selected for, Prairie States, is especially competitive and made mostly of players from Wayne State, the reigning women’s rugby national champion.
“I was actually on a team with a lot of really experienced girls,” Liebenthal said. “It was literally crazy, our team was so talented. I’m honestly still shocked I got in.”
The Prairie States team went five-for-five and swept the tournament, winning the championship game against South 25-7.
Liebenthal was surprised when she was awarded tournament MVP after the championship game.
“I was just not expecting it”, she said. “I’ve only been playing since the beginning of this year.”
Liebenthal has since been selected to play in the NSCRO Women’s 7’s Las Vegas Invitational. She will play for the Select team. The team represents all 125 “small college” teams that compete as a part of NSCRO and will have players from all over the country playing.
USD Women’s Rugby Club president Mikayla Schroeder also complimented Liebenthal’s ability. “You would never know she has only been playing for about four months. She has speed, as well as instinctive decision-making skills on the field,” she said.
Liebenthal is one of many college students who decided to pick up rugby in recent years.
“In the beginning [of the NSCRO], there were less than 80 men’s and 40 women’s colleges participating,” Chivers said. “Now there are currently over 240 men’s and over 125 women’s teams participating in conferences across the country. Women’s rugby is an NCAA emerging sport. With the rapid growth of varsity teams. we are close to gaining full NCAA status.”
Liebenthal hopes more people consider joining rugby.
“I think that more women at USD should open their minds to rugby, because some people see it just as, you have to be huge, muscular, strong… I’m literally 5-foot-3 and I’m just a little person… there is a position for everybody in rugby, and you don’t have to be the most athletic,” Liebenthal said. “There’s a role for you there. I think that more people should be aware, first of all that we have a rugby team, second of all, that we’re going to get really good, and it’s going to be fun to be part of.”
