After 17 consecutive state titles, the Summit High School girls rugby team has grown accustomed to rewriting the record books.

On Saturday, Sept. 20, Summit forged a new path for the program, competing in three different states in a single day. While the same group of players didn’t compete in three states on the same day, the program had three different teams spread out between Kansas, Colorado and Utah.

Summit’s top varsity program got the opportunity to travel to Alpine, Utah, to take on the United Rugby Club. After losing to the talented team two weeks prior, Summit took to the pitch eager to even the score.

Summit started the three-game series by securing a win. Coming off a 24-12 loss to United in the final of its home tournament on Sept. 6, Summit won the first match 17-12. Feeling confident about its abilities to play as a unit, Summit went on to defeat United by a wider margin in the second match, securing a 21-7 win. 

Challenging the Summit defense both physically and from a skill standpoint, United won the third set 29-26. Although Summit dropped the third set, the team won the series 2-1. 

“It was a great test for our girls, and, although we thought we could have adapted quicker and better, it gave us a really good indication of what we need to improve on before Idaho,” Summit head coach Karl Barth said. “I don’t think either team was happy with how they played, but a lot of that was the pressure they put on each other.”

Summit was led in the match by seniors Teagan Barth and Hailey Russer. Not only were the two skilled rugby players a cornerstone for the team in terms of on-field leadership, but the dynamic duo also scored 42 of Summit’s 64 total points. 

Barth scored four tries and went five for eight on conversions, while Russer had two tries and a conversion. Russer was also instrumental for the team on the defensive side of the ball, making massive tackles and working to regain possession. 

Juniors Jenavive Bradford and Hannah Webb contributed to the team’s scoring by dotting two tries and a conversion. Additionally, senior Elle Chabot and junior Alena Riberdy recorded tries of their own. 

Summit’s second varsity-level team, “the Tigers,” recorded four wins at a tournament in Overland Park, Kansas, on Saturday. Hosted by St. Thomas Aquinas High School, the Tigers opened the day of play with a dominant 41-0 win over Liberty High School before shutting out St. Thomas, 29-0, in the team’s second match.

The Tigers were far from done. Yet to allow a point during the tournament, the Tigers shutout the Liberty North rugby program 31-0.

The Tigers closed out the tournament by facing their toughest opponent yet — the Kansas City All-Stars. In a competitive affair, the Tigers secured a 26-22 win over the all-star players. The Tigers went 4-0 on the day, outscoring their opponent 127-22.  

In Colorado Springs, a very young Summit High School girls rugby team went 1-2 against a well-rounded Palmer rugby team. Coached by Alex Fitch, Summit was led by juniors Ashley Ramirez, Margo Thompson and Alissa Eggimann, as well as freshmen Morris Alexander and Emma Sutherland. 

Both the Summit and Tiger teams will travel to Fort Collins on Saturday, Sept. 27, for a series of Rugby Colorado matches. The youngest Summit High School girls rugby team will stay in the county for several Colorado Interscholastic Rugby Association games on Saturday. 

The day of rugby is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. at Summit High School.