Head coach Jared Whippy previews the BYU women’s rugby season

The BYU women’s rugby roster was released in September, and head coach Jared Whippy is optimistic of the potential of this year’s roster. 

As Whippy nears his year mark as head coach, he reflects on his own rugby career and how it has affected his own coaching style.

“I’ve had a lot of coaches in my life.. and I’ve seen different styles of coaching and I use the styles I’ve been taught to help the team,” Whippy said.

Whippy’s extensive rugby career includes notable roles with BYU rugby, the Utah Warriors and Seattle Seawolves, making him an invaluable asset for the girls.

This season’s 2023-2024 roster consisting of 37 players was posted on Instagram last week. Many of the players are joining the team for the first time this year. 

“The sky’s the limit for this team.. We’ve got a good group of girls, especially the returning players, and I’m excited about the new girls coming in,” Whippy said. “My main focus for these next four weeks is that I want to get their fitness levels up, but also make sure they understand the way and the style of rugby we want to play.”

Senior Kathryn Stowers was announced team captain, with junior Lewanda “Boots” Aspinall and freshman Roxana Penaloza as vice-captains. 

“Those three work really well with the team and they hold each other accountable. What I think made me pick them as leaders is that they have high standards for themselves, they train really well, and they’re people that the girls want to follow,” Whippy commented.

As Whippy previewed this season’s schedule, he noted, “we’ve moved up a division so we’re playing in the top division now, it’s called the Division-I elite, so we play the top six teams in the nation. It should be exciting times and hopefully we can do some damage up here.”

The team was crowned National D-I College National Champions in 2022 and has a rich history of success.