When Kalissa Brooks talks about how rugby entered her life, she doesn’t describe it as an instant moment but rather a gradual decision that was influenced by her older sister and a coach who believed in her before she believed in herself.
“My sister played rugby and loved it, and I got to know their coach really well. He encouraged me to play, so I tried out in seventh grade and made the team,” she said. “Once I made the team, I played all throughout high school.”
What she didn’t know then was that the sport would shape nearly every part of who she is: her confidence, her leadership, her resilience, and the way she hopes to influence athletes in the future.
Her high school coach, Sean Rodgers, remembers the early version of Kalissa vividly.
“The first thing that stood out about Kalissa was her eagerness and how quickly she learned the game,” Rodgers said. “She grew in leaps and bounds, earning her way into the senior squad as early as grade nine.”
Her growth was so rapid that Rodgers named her captain as an underclassman.
“She kept getting better the more she played. I made her captain at an early age, and her positive attitude made me believe she would go a long way in life.”
Despite her success in rugby, basketball became the more obvious path after graduation. She was recruited and later on receivedscholarships and pursued it, but something in the environment didn’t feel right anymore.
“I felt like the basketball environment wasn’t something I wanted,” she said. “After my mission, I didn’t want to put myself in that environment again.”
Rugby resurfaced when she came to BYU, a decision she made primarily for the school, not the sport. She arrived without expectations, unsure of what to expect.
“I didn’t have super high expectations when I came here,” she said. “But once I made the team, the environment was incredible.”
After adapting to BYU’s program, she learned things she didn’t expect, the most significant, her own strength.
“Rugby has taught me that I’m strong—physically and emotionally,” she said. “Dealing with injuries is hard, but it taught me emotional resilience.”
For Brooks, BYU’s Christian environment also redefined the way she viewed competition itself.
“You fight hard, but rugby is still a gentleman’s game,” she said. “After the game, you’re still friends. Knowing they’re a child of God changes how you treat people.”
But her first semester brought an obstacle that tested her. She tore her AC joint, and just like that, her season was over for that semester.
“I couldn’t play almost the whole semester. It was a very depressing time,” Brooks said. “You’re watching your teammates play the sport you love, and you can’t play with them.”
Still, she stayed present.
“I tried to stay involved — going to practices, helping with cones, passing balls with one arm. Just being part of the team helped.”
The turning point came when an injury opened a spot during a game. Coaches needed someone ready, and Brooks was next up.
“I think I was overlooked at first,” she admitted. “But when someone got injured and I got the chance to play, they saw my potential.”
Stepping onto the field again felt familiar.
“Once I got into a game, I realized, ‘This is still rugby. I know how to do this.’ And it all came together.”
Her coaches noticed it too. Coach Win Elkington, BYU’s forwards coach, said what stands out about Brooks is the way she lifts everyone around her.
“She leads by example,” Elkington said. “She helps the girls — showing them how to run drills or pointing them in the right direction.”
He watched her confidence bloom.
“I’ve seen her become more confident," Elkington said. "She trusts what the coaches teach and really applies it.”
That confidence led to a leadership role that felt natural, one she embraced this semester.
“She’s willing to speak up now,” Elkington said. “She’s approachable, teammates go to her with questions, and she’s become very vocal.”
Her head coach, Jared Whippy, agrees, though he describes her in two contrasting halves.
“As a person, she’s a gentle giant — laid back, good hearted,” Whippy said. “As a player? Beast. She plays with so much heart. She doesn’t talk much on the field, but when she does, it means a lot to the girls.”
For him, one of her biggest strengths is her consistency, and the way her confidence changes the team’s energy.
“Her confidence rubs off on the other players. She’s one of our leaders now,” Whippy said. “The team looks up to her — she’s the standard of how to play.”
Throughout the season, nothing impressed him more than the way she continued to evolve.
“What stands out is her growth,” he said. “Her aggressiveness is something you can’t teach—it has to come from within.”
As she grew, Brooks found her proudest moments not in personal achievements, but in watching others succeed. Through the team’s buddy system, where seasoned players mentor new ones. Brooks watched her assigned freshman transform before her eyes.
“She went out in her first game and did amazing,” Brooks said. “Everything just clicked for her. It was like a proud mom moment.”
That moment, more than any tough tackle or blocked kick, affirmed something she already suspected: coaching was in her future. She switched her major from business to coaching when she came to BYU. A decision that didn’t come easily, but one that she keeps gaining confidence in season after season.
“I want to help girls have good coaches, the kind I had,” she said.
Looking ahead, Brooks hopes her legacy is one of intensity and kindness woven together.
“I hope they remember that I was kind but intense — someone who played hard but was loving off the field,” she said.
And if she can leave one lasting message in the sport that shaped her.
“I want it to be less shocking that women can be strong and play rugby. We can do hard things too," Brooks said.
When it comes to gratitude, she keeps it simple.
“Thank you for helping me become a better woman, athlete, and leader — and for helping me see the potential I have.”