QU Set for Friday Night Matchup at Harvard

Quinnipiac at Harvard
Friday, Sept. 6, 2024 | 7:00 PM
Mignone Field | Cambridge, MA

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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Quinnipiac women's rugby returns to action for its second matchup of the 2024 campaign, traveling to defending national champion Harvard on Friday night.

VAN DER VALK SETS PROGRAM RECORD

Senior Riva van der Valk set a new Quinnipiac career record for tackles (217) during QU's season opener, surpassing previous record-holder Jessica Maricich ('17).

TIE in SEASON OPENER (8/31)

Quinnipiac Women's Rugby battled to a 17-17 tie at Brown in the 2024 season opener on Saturday, Aug. 31.
Kelsey Thomas, Kat Storey, and Ava O'Malley each found the try zone for the. O'Malley's try is her first career score as a Bobcat.
O'Malley, a First-Year flanker, recorded five tackle assists, 14 total tackles, and one poach during her first collegiate contest.
Thomas had 12 carries for 84 meters gained. The junior also beat two defenders against Brown.

HISTORY vs. HARVARD

Harvard won the meeting between the two teams last year in Hamden (55-14). The Crimson have taken each of the last eight meetings.

LAST YEAR (2023)

The Bobcats went 6-3 in total last year 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.
Quinnipiac reached the NIRA Semifinals once again last year, falling at Dartmouth, 38-8, on Nov. 11, 2023.

ALL-AMERICANS (2023)

Quinnipiac Women's Rugby earned five All-NIRA selections following the conclusion of the 2023-24 season.
The Bobcats received four selections to the All-NIRA First Team in total. Hannah Pfersch, Anna Van Dyk, Kat Storey and Gracie Cartwright were all crowned First-Team All-American status by the NIRA. Riva van der Valk also earned All-NIRA Honorable Mention status.
Anna Van Dyk, Kat Storey and Riva van der Valk all return for QU in 2024.

HEAD COACH BECKY CARLSON

Head Coach Becky Carlson just wrapped up her 13^th 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.
As the original head coach of the Quinnipiac women's rugby team added in 2011, Carlson boasts an all-time record of 81–33-1 including back-to-back-to-back Division I NIRA national championship titles in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

NEWCOMERS

QU announced its signing class in May/June. The Bobcats revealed six signings on May 1, then five more signings on June 1.

For more information on the Quinnipiac Women's Rugby program, visit gobobcats.com/rugby and follow the team on Twitter (QU_Rugby) and Instagram (QURugby).

Schedule

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Gracie Cartwright

Ava O'Malley

Hannah Pfersch

Kat Storey

Kat Storey

Kelsey Thomas

Riva van der Valk

Riva van der Valk

Anna Van Dyk

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Upcoming Events

Results

Completed Event: Women's Rugby at Queens (at Navy) on October 25, 2025 , Win , 60, to, 14

Completed Event: Women's Rugby versus Sacred Heart on October 18, 2025 , Loss , 12, to, 27

Completed Event: Women's Rugby at Navy on October 11, 2025 , Win , 29, to, 10

Completed Event: Women's Rugby versus La Salle on October 4, 2025 , Win , 53, to, 0