B.C. under-18 women's provincial team head coach Brad Baker released his roster for the upcoming National rugby championships to be hosted at the University of British Columbia August 7 to 11. Loaded with experience and plenty of pace, Baker is confident his side has all the right tools to impress the home crowd.
"We are a very athletic team this year and are experienced with a number of returning girls from last season," Baker said in a B.C. Rugby press release. "The staff are confident that we have an excellent chance to win the gold medal and our goal is to lift the national championship at home."
The squad, including Burnaby North Secondary student Kyra Grol, will be looking to better a third-place finish last year, when a narrow 15-10 defeat to Alberta in the pool round cost them a repeat trip to the national final.
Two to watch on this year's roster were named to Canada u-20 longlist for the Nation's Cup and will be looking to make a strong impression with national selectors in the stands. Tiffany Picketts of Abbotsford and Allie White of Cowichan will be key pieces in this year's line up and will look to carry their strong form over from the high school season. Picketts captained Abbostford Secondary to a provincial XVs AA title this past May, while White was a crucial piece of Cowichan's run to a provincial 7s and provincial AAA title.
Picketts is one of seven returning players to this year's roster, which includes four Bayside AA and Lord Tweedsmuir reps in Nikolina Boundy, Jade Elidoros, April Martin and Alex Mueller. A pair of Cowichan reps will also return for another shot at a national title with Adrienne Saari and Samantha Jory in this year's squad.
"Jory and Elidoros will be two of our senior players in the pack while Alex Mueller will be a key player for us in the backs. Alex can play anywhere in the back line, which will be useful at nationals where we play as many games as we do," added Baker.
This past February marked the first time a B.C. provincial girls' sevens roster was fielded. The squad traveled to Las Vegas and placed third at the high school invitational. Saari, a sevens standout, will again be pulling on the gold and blue jersey at the upcoming nationals along with her Vegas team mates Sophia Degianni from Yale Secondary and Cowichan's Leah Theobald and Allie White.
The team will be heading into their final preparation camp on Friday at Capilano RFC's Klahanie Park, the home base for this year's squad.
"We are heading into camp to fine tune our game plan and are excited about the opportunities ahead," added Baker. "There are 29 of us and we are ready to play at home in front our family and friends. While that can add more pressure to our players, everyone knows that we have a job to do."
For more information on the National Festival visit www.nationalfestivalrugby.com
BC U18s Nationals Schedule
Wed. Aug 7, 1:30pm - B.C. vs Manitoba
Thurs. Aug 8, noon - B.C. vs Nova Scotia
Fri. Aug 9, 1:30pm - B.C. vs Ontario
Sat. Aug 10 - Playoff rounds
Sun. Aug 11 - Placement rounds
2012 Results at nationals (Sherbrooke, Quebec)
B.C. 13-0 Saskatchewan
B.C. 10-15 Alberta
B.C. 48-0 Manitoba
B.C. 92-0 New Brunswick
Semifinl - B.C. 8-13 Alberta
Bronze-medal final - B.C. 13-0 Quebec
B.C. under-18 women's roster:
Nikolina Boundy (Bayside AA / Lord Tweedsmuir)*
Nicole Crowley (Shawnigan Lake School)
Sheridan Davis (Williams Lake Rustlers / Williams Lake Secondary)
Sophia DeGianni (Abbotsford RFC / Yale Secondary School)
Jade Elidoros (Bayside AA / Lord Tweedsmuir)*
Mackenzie Fowler (Heritage Park)
Kyra Groll (Burnaby Lake Rugby Club / Burnaby North)
Samantha Jory (Cowichan Rugby Club / Cowichan Secondary)*
Lauren Kerr (Abbotsford RFC / Robert Bateman)
Hannah Lauridsen (Cowichan Rugby Club / Cowichan Secondary)
Alexa Martin (Bayside AA / Elgin Park)
April Martin (Bayside AA / Lord Tweedsmuir)*
Alex Mueller (Bayside AA / Lord Tweedsmuir)*
Brooklyn Navarrete (Stelly's Secondary)
Kay Olsen (Abbotsford RFC / Robert Bateman)
Chrissa Perez (Abbotsford RFC / Yale Secondary School)
Shelby Pihl (Abbotsford RFC / Abbotsford Secondary)
Tiffany Picketts (Abbotsford RFC / Abbotsford Secondary)*
Lael Ross (Bayside AA / Elgin Park)
Adrienne Saari (Cowichan Rugby Club / Cowichan Secondary)*
Kate Schievink (Port Alberni Black Sheep / Alberni DistrictSecondary School)
Isabel Schlyecher (Carson Graham)
Leah Theobald (Cowichan Secondary)
Morgan Terpsma (DW Poppy)
Allie White (Cowichan Rugby Club / Cowichan Secondary)
*Denotes returning U18 player from 2012 squad
