After three and a half years of women's rugby at Bowdoin, senior Becky Stevens is looking to claim a spot on the under-23 New England Rugby team.
The chance to place on the highly coveted team will not only give Stevens the opportunity to play with some of the best in the region, but also will give her a shot to play in qualifying tournaments for the U.S. National Team.
A D.C. native, Stevens first learned to play rugby at Bowdoin in her first year.
"I've learned so much," said Stevens. "I picked up a whole new sport in the matter of a season basically. But it's been a really great learning experience."
Her enthusiasm for the sport was solidified by an opportunity to go with the team to Ireland where she experienced a taste of rugby culture.
"Rugby is not a big sport in the U.S. and so it was great to go to Ireland as a freshman and I got to experience the culture of rugby there," she said.
On the team, Stevens plays scrumhalf, which she described as the equivalent of a quarterback in football.
"Have you seen rugby?" she said. "You know that mass of people? I am responsible for getting the ball out of that mass of people and giving [it] to other players," said Stevens.
A varsity sport in the fall, women's rugby constitutes much of Stevens' year.
In the fall, Stevens is busy at work playing in competitive games, in the winter she trains, and in the spring, women's rugby switches over to a club sport and Stevens and other veterans are hard at work recruiting new players.
They are now in the process of teaching the sport to newcomers and playing against regional teams.
Stevens believes this past fall was her best season at Bowdoin.
"We lost in the first round of playoffs, so that was disappointing but I think we learned a lot," she said. "In terms of quality of play, compared to other seasons I think this was probably the best season that I've experienced."
A team player by nature, Stevens shared her favorite part of the game.
"I really like when something you do results in a try, whether it is an individual effort, or an assist, or even just a great tackle, that somehow enables your team to be successful," she said. "I think that's my favorite part."
Stevens will return for a second try-out for the New England Rugby team in May.