There could only be one No. 1, as defending champion Southern Nazarene was dominant in its title run last fall and returns all seven of their All-Americans. They’ve also landed All-American transfers in back row Lauren Thomlinson (Drury) and fullback Tamzin Boyce (Wheeling). Reigning Player of the Year Telesi Uhatafe, who earned her first Eagle cap this spring, headlines the deep list of returning stars, alongside Palu Sau, Lo Anderson, Vivianne Wright, Riley Erickson, Ireland Jeffrey and Lesieli Tonga.
SNU’s schedule is as stacked with top competition as the roster is with All-Americans. The Crimson Storm open the season with a home-and-home series against Lindenwood, have road games at BYU, Brown and Life, and neutral-site matches against Aquinas and Walsh. Their ambitious 10-game regular season schedule spans seven states and three time zones.
Second-ranked St. Bonaventure has already put quite a bit of preseason hay in the barn, with scrimmages against Niagara, Syracuse and Walsh. Sadie Hershberger, a freshman out of Amhers, NH and the Mystic River High School program, impressed in the Niagara and Syracuse scrimmages, leading the team with three tries. All-American center Kayla Nentarz has graduated, but All-American fullback Natalie Lamar is back for her senior season.
In addition to returning valuable veterans like Fabiana Ballestrero, Gia Fannutti and Elizabeth Lyons, the Bonnies have a massive first-year class. In her fourth year as head coach, Meredith Pyke has hauled in 14 recruits from seven states, Canada and Sweden, and one transfer from Wheeling – Milena Hammons. A decorated wrestler in high school, Hammons is a Canadian U23 lock and will add some serious talent to the Bonnies.
Lander is entering its second season under head coach Makayla Lowe Richesin. She led the Bearcats to a South Atlantic Rugby Conference title and D1AA playoff appearance in her inaugural season at the helm, and the program is moving up DI in year two. The Bearcats aren’t tiptoeing into the top division of the women’s game, with Penn State, Life, New Haven and St. Bonaventure on the trot.
Lander does so with a very young roster, more than half of which are first-year players.Two of Lander’s selections to the South-Atlantic All-Star 7s side from January will add quality veteran leadership in Sydney Molaski and Lexi Zloba.
New Haven is brand-new to the competition this season. The Chargers are an NCAA varsity program with over 30 players on the roster and a well-seasoned skipper in head coach Emily Record. She is the first head coach in program history, launching it while serving as performance analyst for Team USA at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
All-American and Eagle center Sereana Vulaono has moved on, as has All-American lock Sara Connelly, leaving holes in the Charger midfield and engine room. The Chargers have brought in a massive freshman class, with 12 new players on campus. The roster, and pack especially, skews young, with just four seniors on the squad, all in the backline – scrumhalf Aggie Mahan, wing Angie Portillo Salguero, wing Mary Harmer and wing Satra Lafleur.
Penn State enters the season under a new head coach, Matt Ramirez. He comes in with a wealth of experience, having led Central Washington from 2021-2025 and established the Iowa Central Community College women’s program last year. At Central, he helmed one of the best programs in the country, helping develop four Eagles, 12 All-Americans and an MA Sorenson Award winner.
In Happy Valley, he inherits a playoff team with returning All-Americans in senior flanker and team captain Danica Luzack and junior No. 8 and forwards captain Cara McManus. They make up two-thirds of the Nittany Lions’ leadership trio, alongside backs captain Danielle Deer. Penn State welcomes a recruiting class spanning seven states, including Ellie Hutton, a high school wrestler and football player out of East Greenbush, NY.
Written by Pat Clifton
