287 of the top college rugby players and 41 coaches representing 133 schools from 38 different states and 3 countries will compete in the Women’s All-Star Championships Saturday and Sunday at Silverbacks Park in Atlanta.

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The All-Star competition features 10 conference-based teams split into two pools of five, with everyone playing three round-robin matches Saturday, and their final pool pairing and two bracket matches Sunday. The Rising Stars division features 12 teams separated into four pools of three, with two pool matches and the first knockout game Saturday and hardware on Sunday.

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In the All-Stars, the Lone Star Armadillos are looking to repeat as champions, having gone a perfect 5-0 last year, conceding just two tries the entire tournament. They’re led by Southern Nazarene All-American Telesi Uhatafe, the competition’s reigning MVP and top try scorer. Fellow Crimson Storm standout Lauren Anderson is also back on the squad, having helped SNU to its best-ever finish in XVs in the fall. 

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Grouped with the defending champs in Pool A are the Midwest, Allegheny, Great Waters and Florida conferences. Allegheny is bolstered by a pair from national champion Wheeling, which beat SNU in last month’s DI final. 

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Alexis Dallas should be a powerful force in space, and speedy Irish wing Tamzin Boyce is sure to light up the 7s pitch. Cincinnati All-American Taylor Powell is another Bear to look out for, as is Pitt’s Morgan Mattia, a Small College All-American last year with East Stroudsburg. 

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The top seed in Pool B is last year’s runner-up, the Big Ten. Outside the loss to the Lone Star in the final, the Big Ten was perfect, pitching a shutout through pool play. But the conference has suffered some serious turnover, with Michigan playmaker Katie Gale the lone returning All-American. Fellow Wolverine Kenzie Ennis also returns from last year, having earned second-team all-tournament honors. 

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Several standouts have raised their hands from the All-Conference team from the fall, too, including Adrian’s Madisyn McDonald, Indiana’s Ella Kibbe, Notre Dame’s Mia Blocher, Michigan State’s Chloe Casenave and Liz Jewell, and Purdue’s Bailey Barton and Tessa Weisgerber. 

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The North Atlantic Conference will be making its debut appearance at All-Stars, as the New England Wide and Colonial Coast merged to form the new league. Florida, the Mid-Atlantic and Cascade are also making their debuts. 

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The Cascade and North Atlantic will field sides in both the All-Star and Rising Stars divisions. Despite being a new team, North Atlantic has plenty of talent, including Plymouth State’s Laryssa Landmesser, who was named to the Small College All-Stars All-Tournament team last year. 

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Along with second sides from leagues like the North Atlantic, the Rising Stars competition is composed of the top representative teams from the Prairie States, Mid-Atlantic, Great Lakes, Cascade, Eastern Penn, Mid-America and Ohio Valley conferences.

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The stadium field will be streamed live all weekend by The Rugby Network, available with a TRN+ Ticket. The outside fields will be streamed on NCR’s YouTube.