Monthly Archives: January 2017

Stanford Women’s Rugby

25355950785_4f5d5ce027_m Credit: Hector Gracia Molina

Stanford Women’s Rugby will compete in the Pacific Mountain Rugby Conference during the winter quarter. The West division has expanded to include Humboldt State and continues to be a home and away format. With the transition away from pre-selection for D1 Elite, Stanford will return look to return to the Pacific Mountain Rugby Conference play-offs against fierce local competition. The schedule is loaded with matches including a double weekend at the start of the February.

UC Davis finished last season as the USA Rugby D1 Women’s Spring Champions and will host Stanford in the first match of the season for the Cardinal on Friday, January 27. The match and the return contest on Saturday, March 11 will provide bench marks for both teams in the division.

The other team to split matches with Stanford last season, Chico State, will provide a unique challenge for this season. The matches are a week apart with the home league on Saturday, February 11 and the away on February 18.

After a year of transition, Cal will look to build a strong challenge this year. With the first match on Sunday, February 5, the second game of a double weekend and the return on Saturday, February 25 on Family Weekend.

Finally, the Cardinal will host newcomers Humboldt State on Saturday, February 4 and head upstate on Saturday, March 4. It is great to see the team return to D1 after many exciting encounters in the past.

Steuber Stadium will host the Pacific Mountain Conference Play-offs on March 25-26.

Coach Stolba Returns for 2017

Hannah+Stolba+14pxdXX09V4m Stolba playing for Otago (credit: Getty Images)

Hannah Stolba will join the Stanford Rugby coaching staff for the winter and spring quarters in 2017. Stolba coached on a short term contract during 2016 and the Cardinal players are looking forward to her influence and guidance during the upcoming fifteens season. A native of Montana, Stolba joins Stanford after completing the Women’s Premier League season with the Glendale Raptors.
Stolba started playing rugby University of Northern Iowa before transferring to Minnesota State University – Mankato to play basketball. While at Mankato, she continued to pursue dual sporting goals attaining selection for the Minnesota selects, Midwest selects and USA Under 23s. After college she joined the Minnesota Valkeries and continued to pursue representative honors. Her first cap for the USA Eagles was in 2009 and she was selected the United States at the Women’s Rugby World Cups in 2010 & 2014.
Forever in search of different opportunities, Stolba has plied her trade in California, Colorado and most recently in New Zealand. The experience she has gained as a player at collegiate, club and international level will bring valuable insights to the players at Stanford.
Away from the field, Stolba enjoys long distancing hiking. In 2015, she completed the Appalachian Trail in four and a half months. While on the west coast, she is planning her next long walk along Te Araroa in New Zealand.

Stanford Rugby Unveils New Look

IMG_0524Stanford Rugby unveiled their new strip for the upcoming winter season. The strip mixes the traditions of rugby with the heritage of Stanford. The jersey shifts the block S to center of the chest and is the only adornment on the the front of the jersey. The jersey acknowledges the legacy of its alumni with the traditional shield on the left shoulder. Both cardinal and white strips will be completed with classic white shorts and socks.