Photo by: Rob Rasmussen / P8Photos.com
Bobcats Reveal Five More Signings Ahead of 2024-25
6/1/2024 12:00:00 PM | Women's Rugby
HAMDEN, Conn. – The Quinnipiac Women's Rugby program has announced the addition of five more student-athletes heading into the 2024-25 season, as revealed on June 1 by Head Coach Becky Carlson.
Gabrielle Appiah (Newark, Delaware), Lily Morris (Cromane, Ireland), Fia Whelan (Milltown, Ireland), Ava O'Malley (Killarney, Ireland) and Regan Jackson (Silverthorne, Colorado) will all join QU ahead of the fall campaign, joining the six incoming Bobcats that were announced on May 1.
Appiah transfers into Quinnipiac after playing for Akron Women's Rugby Club in Ohio. She helped guide the program to its first-ever Midwest Conference semifinal appearance, and was named Akron Women's Rugby Rookie of the Year for the fall of 2023.
Appiah also received the Bob Hoffman "Most Outstanding Athlete" award in basketball, soccer, and volleyball as a senior at Newark High School in Delaware. She finished No. 3 in the entire state of Delaware in D1 shot put during the DIAA 2021-22 season.
"I chose Quinnipiac because it's close to home, has great representation of diversity, has great academic opportunities within health sciences, and most of all because of the incredible rugby team," Appiah said. "I'm excited to finish my collegiate rugby career and my academic studies at QU, and I'm looking forward to bonding with a great and driven rugby program. I can't wait to get straight to work with the team!"
She plans to study Health Sciences at Quinnipiac with a career focus on Physical Therapy/Sports Medicine.
Lily Morris (Cromane, Ireland)
Morris joins the Bobcats after playing for the Ireland U18 squad in the 2023 Six Nations Championship, an annual rugby union competition.
"I chose Quinnipiac because of the beautiful campus and the talented rugby team," Morris said. "I'm looking forward to experiencing campus life at QU, to climbing Sleeping Giant, and to getting the new season started in the fall!"
She plans to study Criminal Justice at Quinnipiac and hopes to one day join the Irish Police Force (An Garda Siochana).
Fia Whelan (Milltown, Ireland)
Whelan joins the Bobcats after playing for three seasons with Munster U18 in Ireland. She also won the Munster Championship while playing for Killarney.
"[When I visited QU] I really enjoyed the atmosphere and scenery on the campus as well as the athletic facilities," Whelan said. "I can't wait to live in Connecticut and train daily with the team!"
Whelan plans to study Health Sciences at Quinnipiac.
Ava O'Malley (Killarney, Ireland)
O'Malley also played for Munster U'18's in Ireland prior to joining the Bobcats. She was selected to the Ireland U18 squad in the 2023 Six Nations Championship. She's also played soccer and Gaelic football to help improve as an overall athlete.
"I chose Quinnipiac because I loved the environment and friendliness around campus, especially the sense of family that surrounded the rugby program," she said. "I immediately thought it was a great fit for me, and I can't wait to get started in September."
O'Malley intends to major in Behavioral Neuroscience at QU.
Regan Jackson (Silverthorne, Colorado)
Jackson joins the Bobcats after competing for Summit Rugby for four years. She helped lead the team to four state titles. The team finished second overall at high school nationals (15's).
"I chose QU because it offered everything I wanted in a college," Jackson said. "The esteemed academic opportunities that Quinnipiac offers made it an easy decision."
She will pursue a Mechanical Engineering degree at Quinnipiac.
…
Quinnipiac has now announced 11 incoming student-athletes heading into the fall 2024 campaign. The Bobcats revealed six incoming athletes back on May 1.
The Bobcats went 6-3 in total during the 2023 campaign, winning four straight games from Sept. 30 – Oct. 28 to close the regular season. QU defeated Navy, Sacred Heart, Army, AIC, Mount St. Mary's and LIU in 2023.
Head Coach Becky Carlson just wrapped up her 13th year at the helm of the Quinnipiac Women's Rugby team in 2023-24, leading the transition from a new varsity program into a three-time national champion.
For more information on the Quinnipiac Women's Rugby program, visit gobobcats.com/rugby and follow the team on X/Twitter (@QU_Rugby) and Instagram (@QURugby).
Gabrielle Appiah (Newark, Delaware), Lily Morris (Cromane, Ireland), Fia Whelan (Milltown, Ireland), Ava O'Malley (Killarney, Ireland) and Regan Jackson (Silverthorne, Colorado) will all join QU ahead of the fall campaign, joining the six incoming Bobcats that were announced on May 1.
"The second round of signees concludes the incoming class," Carlson said. "We are a program of quality over quantity that strives to develop each of our players as opposed to recruiting them as a number. This class is a critical marker on our path to return to the championship and each of our signees - from Connecticut to as far as Ireland - couples well with our existing squad who all understand the mission."
Gabrielle Appiah (Newark, Delaware)Appiah transfers into Quinnipiac after playing for Akron Women's Rugby Club in Ohio. She helped guide the program to its first-ever Midwest Conference semifinal appearance, and was named Akron Women's Rugby Rookie of the Year for the fall of 2023.
Appiah also received the Bob Hoffman "Most Outstanding Athlete" award in basketball, soccer, and volleyball as a senior at Newark High School in Delaware. She finished No. 3 in the entire state of Delaware in D1 shot put during the DIAA 2021-22 season.
"I chose Quinnipiac because it's close to home, has great representation of diversity, has great academic opportunities within health sciences, and most of all because of the incredible rugby team," Appiah said. "I'm excited to finish my collegiate rugby career and my academic studies at QU, and I'm looking forward to bonding with a great and driven rugby program. I can't wait to get straight to work with the team!"
She plans to study Health Sciences at Quinnipiac with a career focus on Physical Therapy/Sports Medicine.
Lily Morris (Cromane, Ireland)
Morris joins the Bobcats after playing for the Ireland U18 squad in the 2023 Six Nations Championship, an annual rugby union competition.
"I chose Quinnipiac because of the beautiful campus and the talented rugby team," Morris said. "I'm looking forward to experiencing campus life at QU, to climbing Sleeping Giant, and to getting the new season started in the fall!"
She plans to study Criminal Justice at Quinnipiac and hopes to one day join the Irish Police Force (An Garda Siochana).
Fia Whelan (Milltown, Ireland)
Whelan joins the Bobcats after playing for three seasons with Munster U18 in Ireland. She also won the Munster Championship while playing for Killarney.
"[When I visited QU] I really enjoyed the atmosphere and scenery on the campus as well as the athletic facilities," Whelan said. "I can't wait to live in Connecticut and train daily with the team!"
Whelan plans to study Health Sciences at Quinnipiac.
Ava O'Malley (Killarney, Ireland)
O'Malley also played for Munster U'18's in Ireland prior to joining the Bobcats. She was selected to the Ireland U18 squad in the 2023 Six Nations Championship. She's also played soccer and Gaelic football to help improve as an overall athlete.
"I chose Quinnipiac because I loved the environment and friendliness around campus, especially the sense of family that surrounded the rugby program," she said. "I immediately thought it was a great fit for me, and I can't wait to get started in September."
O'Malley intends to major in Behavioral Neuroscience at QU.
Regan Jackson (Silverthorne, Colorado)
Jackson joins the Bobcats after competing for Summit Rugby for four years. She helped lead the team to four state titles. The team finished second overall at high school nationals (15's).
"I chose QU because it offered everything I wanted in a college," Jackson said. "The esteemed academic opportunities that Quinnipiac offers made it an easy decision."
She will pursue a Mechanical Engineering degree at Quinnipiac.
…
Quinnipiac has now announced 11 incoming student-athletes heading into the fall 2024 campaign. The Bobcats revealed six incoming athletes back on May 1.
The Bobcats went 6-3 in total during the 2023 campaign, winning four straight games from Sept. 30 – Oct. 28 to close the regular season. QU defeated Navy, Sacred Heart, Army, AIC, Mount St. Mary's and LIU in 2023.
Head Coach Becky Carlson just wrapped up her 13th year at the helm of the Quinnipiac Women's Rugby team in 2023-24, leading the transition from a new varsity program into a three-time national champion.
For more information on the Quinnipiac Women's Rugby program, visit gobobcats.com/rugby and follow the team on X/Twitter (@QU_Rugby) and Instagram (@QURugby).
The Roar (pres. by Better Built Basements) Episode 4 - Reagan Perez and Macey Dunn
Tuesday, October 28
Rugby: vs Sacred Heart (10.18)
Saturday, October 18
Rugby vs La Salle (10.4)
Saturday, October 04
Women's Rugby: Quinnipiac vs. Lindenwood
Friday, September 19
