The Summit High School girls rugby team is known for two things: winning state titles and churning out collegiate-level rugby players. 

After 17-consecutive Colorado state titles, the rugby program has not only become highly regarded within the state, but coaches across the nation have also taken notice.

As a result, several Summit athletes make a commitment to pursue the sport at the collegiate level every academic year. The 2025 graduating class features several talented athletes who are bound to make their mark at the collegiate level.

Among the group of Summit girls rugby players who have committed to play their sport at the next level is Delilah Staberg. Following four successful years on the Summit girls rugby team, Staberg chose to commit to Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. 

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Although she was not introduced to the unique and dynamic sport until the summer going into her freshman year, Staberg was a quick learner and soon fell in love with the game. 

“I started going to the touch practices, and then I started playing rugby right when I started high school,” Staberg said. “I definitely fell in love with it right away. I went to the first summer touch practice and as soon as I went to that first practice, I knew I loved it.”

With a deep passion for the sport and the other athletes on the Summit girls rugby team, Staberg eventually reached the point where she was playing on Summit’s top varsity-level program.

Also an avid soccer player and skier, Staberg’s sentiment for rugby was different. While she still found joy in other sports, the community that surrounds rugby was something Staberg had trouble finding elsewhere. 

“Everyone I have ever played with, whether at Summit or on any of the travel teams, I have loved all the people,” Staberg said. “The rugby community is so different from any other sports community. I felt welcomed immediately.”

As Staberg progressed in the sport, she soon became a mainstay for the Summit girls rugby team both as a leading performer and as a vocal leader. This past fall, Staberg used the skills she had learned to win her fourth and final Colorado state title, contributing several points for the team by dashing down the field or hammering home conversions.

“Without the program I would have never reached where I am today,” Staberg said. “I wouldn’t be playing in college, I wouldn’t have had these amazing opportunities. I was with the team for four years, but it is so much bigger than that. I know the girls would do anything for me just because I was part of this program.”

Staberg’s expertise on the pitch also caught the attention of people outside of the state, earning spots on all-star rugby teams and traveling across the world for tournaments. It was during a trip to Europe with the Texas Outlaws that Staberg says she became interested in seeing if she could play the sport at the next level.

“The summer of my sophomore year I went to Germany and Austria to play,” Staberg said. “There were girls on that team that were talking about playing in college. … Seeing that it was in fact a thing was kind of was my realization during my junior year. I did not know you could even pursue it collegiately.”

With a desire to make it to the next level, Staberg remained focused and eventually got the opportunity to talk with several college rugby coaches. An unofficial visit to Quinnipiac during her junior year was the turning point for Staberg.

Quinnipiac provided a team atmosphere that was everything Staberg was looking for.

“It was the people,” Staberg said. “The coaches were so nice. When I went out on my official visit, I saw it more. It was a really tight-knit community and the girls felt like family to each other. We have that bond at Summit, so I feel like that is what I was looking for going to play in college.”

In November 2024, Staberg officially announced her commitment to Quinnipiac University, officially making her a Bobcat. After graduating later this spring, Staberg will be joining an illustrious Division 1 women’s rugby team that has produced Olympic-level talent like Ilona Maher. 

“I am incredibly honored and I am so excited for the opportunity,” Staberg said. “I know that I am going to be challenged in such different ways out there. I am so excited to go out there and learn from everybody on the team. I am so excited and honored to be one of their recruited athletes.”

Beyond the opportunity of playing rugby in college, Staberg is eager to pursue a degree in criminal justice. 

“I was in the psychology class at the high school and it was one of the most interesting classes I have taken,” Staberg said. “… I found that so interesting. I combined that with going to the HOSA Health Conference for forensic science. I also really loved that.”

Staberg does not know exactly what field she wants to pursue with her eventual degree in criminal justice, but is rather keeping her options open as she figures out the major and field of study. 

While her time at Summit is quickly coming to a close, Staberg says she will always cherish the moments she has made at school, in sports and with her friends.

“Really everyone who has helped me in the county,” Staberg said. “I used to be a skier and all my coaches there taught me the discipline to be able to achieve this dream. Every person within my community has really helped me get me to where I am today. To be able to accomplish this dream is amazing.”

Staberg will close out her senior soccer season with a final home game against Golden High School on Saturday, May 3. The game is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.