Excalibur Rugby Adds Top Recruits

Nancy Marcotte , Head Coach of the Trent Excalibur Women's Rugby program is pleased to announce the addition of five exciting young players. Marcotte said 2005 has been the best recruiting year yet with 15 rookies confirming their intention to attend training camp. Among them will be:

Bethany Sehl, Scrum Half, Winterbourne, Ontario. A graduate of Elmira District Secondary School, Bethany was selected to the Waterloo Region All Star team this spring. A versatile player who can hook and flank as well as play scrum-half, Bethany was described by her high school coach Heather Seiling as: "Great player and even better attitude."

Laura Story-Fleming, Flanker, Peterborough. Laura is a graduate of St. Peter's where she was a stand out in both rugby and soccer. Laura was named the Most Valuable Player of St. Peter's Rugby Program. A rangy back row player with deceptive speed and a nose for the tryline Laura will give the Excalibur its first true line-out jumper in three years.

"Laura has shown a knack for coming up big in big games," said Marcotte. "She scored two tries in the All-Star game this spring and she scored both tries last year when the Pagans (Under 19's) won the TRU Championship."

Ashley Mayers, Wing, Oshawa. This graduate of O'Neill Collegiate decided to come to Trent after attending an Ontario Under 19 trial here. A rare combination of speed and power Ashley is an exciting player who should add both pace and punch to the Trent backline. Ashley was named MVP of her rugby team at O'Neill and made the TRU Under 19 Summer Games team when she was 14 and was selected to the Durham Region All Star team this spring.

"Ashley is a player with tremendous potential," Marcotte said. "I think we've only just scratched the surface of what she's capable of."

Katie Allen, Prop, Peterborough. Katie is a Thomas A. Stewart grad and Peterborough Pagan. She was a member of the 2004 Ontario U-19 team and was a Kawartha All-Star this year. Marcotte said Katie brings an unusual amount of experience to the program for a rookie.

"Katie has probably played about 100 rugby games in her last three years of high school," she's played against provincial teams like Quebec and she's played in England and Wales on tour. She should be able to adjust to the university game quite quickly."

Callie Downer: Fullback, Peterborough. A Crestwood graduate who came to Trent during second semester this spring, Callie is a former OFSAA sprinter who brings electrifying pace to the Excalibur. Callie has been honing her skills this summer for the Pagans and we can look forward to her torching Trent's new artificial turf field in September.

"She's been running by provincial and national team players this summer," Marcotte said. "She'll definitely make an impact in the fall."

Photo 1: Bethany Sehl, Scrum Half, Winterbourne, Ontario

Photo 2: Ashley Mayers, Wing, Oshawa

Photo 3: Laura Story-Fleming, Flanker, Peterborough; Katie Allen, Prop, Peterborough; Callie Downer: Fullback, Peterborough

Posted July 14, 2005