Hall of Fame Profile: The 2017 Team
The Gee-Gees Women's Rugby Hall of Fame will induct its inaugural class of inductees on September 21, celebrating the outstanding impact of All-Canadians Simone Savary and Natasha Watcham-Roy in the Athlete category, alongside the 2017 Team in the Team category.
To register to attend the event, which will be held following the Gee-Gees women's rugby match against Bishop's, please visit this link.
The 2017 Team captured the first national championship banner for Gee-Gees women's rugby in highly memorable fashion. The year marked a culmination of a four-year climb which saw the team claim four straight conference championships and finish fourth, third, and as finalists at consecutive national championship tournament appearances.
As such, it was a highly prepared squad which headed to Lethbridge, Alta., for the 2017 National Championship. Notably, the entire course of the 2017 season helped them build to the final triumph.
Regular Season
The regular season began in unique fashion. A road game at Laval on September 2 opened the schedule and Ottawa initially suffered a 19-17 defeat, snapping the team's 28-game unbeaten streak against RSEQ competition, dating back to 2014. However, the match was later forfeited by Laval due to a player eligibility issue. That gave uOttawa an undefeated record and top spot in the regular season standings, with the experience of losing to learn from.
In that Laval game, first-year Lauren Minns scored the opening try with a determined run which defied multiple tacklers. Minns, who would be named RSEQ Rookie of the Year, went on to lead the team in tries with 12 during the seven-game regular season.
The Garnet and Grey didn't look back after that Laval game: they went on to outscore opponents 358 to 45 over the remaining six games of the regular season, including shutouts against McGill, Bishop's, and Carleton.
The 116-0 win over McGill was the team's first ever 100-point game and stands as the highest scoring game in program history, while Minns established the individual record for tries in a match with six, and Emma Sandstrom recorded 10 conversions of a possible 12. Sandstrom recorded 68 total points during the 2017 regular season, leading the team and ranking fourth in the conference.
Key Exhibition Match
Another key moment was an exhibition match victory over St. Francis Xavier, a rematch of the 2016 National Final. Ottawa scored a convincing 33-19 victory at home, building momentum against a strong opponent – St. F.X. would receive the number one seed at nationals and go on to take the 2017 bronze medal.
"It was about showing what we have - our players are always growing and always building moving forward," said senior eight Danarae Sommerville following the exhibition win. "We want to win nationals and this is a step to do it, to show that we can do it [because of our growth]."
Sommerville was one of seven players in their fifth-year of eligibility in 2017 with the Gee-Gees, and would play the national semifinal and final with a broken hand. The group: Alex Ellis (front row), Danielle Erdelyi (second row), Patricia Mandon (fly-half), Bianca Paiement (front row), Breanna Phillipps (second row), Emma Sandstrom (centre), and Sommerville, helped propel the Gee-Gees to national prominence during their time at uOttawa.
Some of those veterans were among the 10 players selected as RSEQ All-Stars, establishing another team record. Of note, nine of the All-Stars were selected for the first time in their careers while fourth-year flanker Emily Babcock earned her third consecutive all-star award.
Postseason
In the RSEQ semifinal match, the Gee-Gees cruised to a 46-14 win over Montreal. Again, the game empowered the team with a sense of confidence.
"Everybody had their hands on the ball, everybody was supporting each other, it was a complete team effort," commented Emily Babcock, post-game. "Not a lot of people see all the little stuff but in the back row you have to get all the little stuff taken care of to make the overall team work together."
"You can't play this sport alone," added Danielle Erdelyi. "We look to each other and ask for help when we need it, whether its focus or positivity. Everyone was quick to support today."
The conference championship was a rematch with Laval. This time, on home field, the Gee-Gees team asserted itself in the second half, going on a 20-0 scoring run to capture a 25-7 victory and a fourth straight conference championship title.
Outstanding tries early in the second half from Alexandra Ondo and Dria Bennett padded the Gee-Gees lead to 17-7, with all facets of the team working together.
"Those scrums today felt so good and I'm really proud because we've really been putting a lot of work into them so we were able to come and execute and be confident," said Bianca Paiement. "The girls I play with make everything so worth it."
The 2017 National Championship was played in Lethbridge, Alta., from Nov. 2 to Nov. 5. The snow started falling on November 1, and at game time for the Gee-Gees quarterfinal against Acadia, the temperature was minus eight degrees with a windchill of minus 15. Ottawa successfully navigated the conditions to a 65-5 win.
That would turn out to be the warmest day of the tournament, as semifinals were delayed from Nov. 3 to Nov. 4 and rumours of a full cancellation abounded.
The Gee-Gees and Calgary Dinos defiantly took to the field for their national semi-final with the temperature at minus thirteen and the windchill at minus 21. It was a riveting match of rugby in incredible conditions.
Ottawa stormed back from a 15-3 deficit, forcing overtime before dominating the final twenty minutes for a 32-15 final score. The Gee-Gees defence starred in the first half while the offence took over in the second half to turn the tide in the match. Calgary's number eight was sent off for a high tackle just five minutes into the second half, and Ottawa quickly capitalized with its first try of the match.
Alex Ellis, a vocal force throughout the match, got the Gee-Gees rolling with the opening try. The forwards would continue to be vital to the scoring effort, fighting as a group for tries by Breanna Phillipps, Danielle Erdelyi, and Erin McCallan from close range.
Dria Bennett was named player of the match and recorded the final try. Her determined runs throughout the match kept Ottawa dangerous and on the attack. Bennett would go on to score a try in the tightly contested national final and earn the tournament's Most Valuable Player award.
National Champions
The national championship match was a nail-biter throughout. Lengthy possessions by both Laval and Ottawa were turned away by exceptional defensive stands, and for the first half of the match much of the play was in the middle of the field.
In the 33rd minute, Ottawa pushed deep into the offensive end and on a pick-and-go, Breanna Phillipps put the Gee-Gees ahead 5-3 after the convert dropped short of the uprights. Ottawa continued to pressure in the final moments of the opening half and in stoppage time, Dria Bennett picked the ball near the goal line and expanded Ottawa's lead to 10-3.
In the second half, Laval quickly tied the score at 10 and it was the 55th minute when Danielle Erdelyi put Ottawa ahead for good, landing for a try off successive rucks.
A desperate Laval side came within metres of scoring but Ottawa stole possession twice and was able to create some distance from their own endzone. Despite Laval's best efforts offensively, Ottawa's defence would only bend, but not break.
"We were just so confident in the person beside us, that they were going to be able to make the tackle, that's the only way we were able to keep going on defence for so long," stated Breanna Phillipps, who was named Player of the Match.
With only two minutes to play, Ottawa was able flip the field position advantage that Laval had held since the 55th minute. Phillipps was able to drive through the Laval defence to put the game out of reach, giving Ottawa their first women's rugby title.
The 2017 team demonstrated incredible teamwork, resiliency, and skill on route to their achievements. Their exploits captivated the uOttawa campus community, which celebrated their arrival home with a campus-wide celebration, and a reception with the Mayor of Ottawa.
In the words of Breanna Phillipps, "Once we knew our capabilities, we never settled for anything less than greatness. We were down in many crucial games [that] season, but we always were able to pull out breathtaking rugby from that."
The 2017 women's rugby team's legacy at uOttawa is undeniable.
2017 RSEQ First Team All-Stars:
Sam Alli - 3rd year - Health Sciences - Caledon, Ont. - Wing
Emily Babcock - 4th year - Criminology - Belleville, Ont. - Flanker
Dria Bennett - 4th year - Medicine - Ottawa, Ont. - Centre
Lauren Minns - 1st year - Civil Law - Montreal, Que. - Centre
Alexandra Ondo - 2nd year - International Development and Globalization - Gatineau, Que. - Full Back
Bianca Paiement - 4th year - Master's of Human Kinetics - Granby, Que. - Hooker
Breanna Phillipps - 5th year - Human Kinetics - Orleans, Ont. - Lock
2017 RSEQ Second Team All-Stars:
Taylor Donato - 2nd year - Accounting - Ottawa, Ont. - Scrum Half
Emma Sandstrom - 5th year - Psychology - Ottawa, Ont. - Centre
Georgia Stewart - 2nd year - Health Sciences - Douro-Dummer, Ont. - Flanker
2017 U SPORTS Championship All-Stars:
Samantha Alli
Emily Babcock
Dria Bennett
Alexandria Ellis
Breanna Phillipps
Members of the 2017 Team to be named U SPORTS All-Canadians at some point in their careers:
Alex Ondo (2017, 2018, 2019, 2021)
Sam Alli (2017, 2018)
Tori Wyman (2018)
Maya Montiel (2021)
Georgia Stewart (2022)
Lauren Minns (2023)
Members of the 2017 Team to earn Senior National Team caps:
Dria Bennett
Alex Ellis
Samantha Alli
Maya Montiel
Complete Team Roster and Staff: Samantha Alli, Emily Babcock, Dria Bennett, Samantha Bennett, Tanika Bonneville, Tamara Butera, Anabelle Clements, Taylor Donato, Alexandria Ellis, Daniella Ellis, Danielle Erdelyi, Katie Geddes, Emily Gray, Paulina Karwowski, Natasha Kerlovich, Jan-ma Letinois, Alexandra Liepmann, Patricia Mandon, Becky Mather, Erin McCallan, Rachel McCallan, Lauren Minns, Maya Montiel, Taylor Newman, Alexandra Ondo, Bianca Paiement, Breanna Phillipps, Maddison Rogers, Emma Sandstrom, Kate Smith, Danarae Sommerville, Georgia Stewart, Lydia Sullivan, Ashley Tait, Kelsey Welsh, Tori Wyman. Head Coach: Jen Boyd, Assistant Coach: Duncan McNaughton, Assistant Coach: Andrew Armstrong, Team Manager: Casey Jones, Athletic Therapist: Sarah Keindal, Student Trainers: Sophie Drouin, Zoya Flick, Mental Performance Coach: Sieger Roorda.
Weather Statistics for National Championship Games, Lethbridge Alta.:
Nov. 2, 2017 12 p.m. PT (quarterfinal): Temperature -7.8, Windchill -15. Snow all day.
Nov. 3, 2017 3 p.m. PT (original time for semifinal match, postponed due to weather): Temperature -11.5, Windchill -22. Snow all day until 8 p.m, totalling 40 cm.
Nov. 4, 2017 11 a.m. PT (semifinal): Temperature -13.3, Windchill -19. Snow began at 5 p.m.
Nov. 5, 2017 2 p.m. PT. (championship): Temperature -12.7, Windchill -19. Snow all morning stopped at 1 p.m., resumed at 5 p.m.