COMMUNITY JOURNALISM: UNI rugby team celebrates outstanding season

CEDAR FALLS - Steve Murra has been coaching the UNI women's rugby team since 1994.

The 2011-12 season was been his best yet.

A UNI graduate whose father coached rugby in Iowa Falls, Murra directed the Panthers to an Elite 8 finish in the national tournament and a 16-2 record.

Those are just two of the highlights from this past season, however.

In November, the Panthers competed in the Midwest Final Four, topping Michigan and Ohio State by a combined score of 105-0.

That qualified UNI for the Division I Sweet 16 tournament in Columbus, Ohio, where the Panthers opened with a 30-15 victory over Colorado and advanced into the Elite 8. UNI lost to Brigham Young, finishing among the top eight in the country.

The Panthers also won a 92-team tournament in Nebraska during the season, going 5-0 in the two-day event and outscoring their opponents, 292-0. The 56-0 win over then-No. 2 ranked Notre Dame was a season highlight for Murra.

Murra thought he was simply looking for a fun experience when he took over the UNI club team, but found it quickly turned into much more. UNI has won three Division II Midwest titles.

Murra sang the praises of his team and the work they put this past season, noting Crystal Nye of Des Moines consistently improved throughout the season. Though she suffered a broken arm right before nationals, Nye remains a significant part of the Panthers' club.

Several UNI player also earned postseason honors, including Miriah Hinton of Iowa City and Karlee West of Cedar Rapids. Both were invited to the all-American Camp, which takes place next month in Glendale, Colo., and West is in the player pool for the United States' Uunder 20 national team.

Talia Carrasquillo and Kaisee Weismuller, both from Milwaukee, received USA Rugby scholarships and Kim LaMons of San Diego has been chosen to compete on the USA's U20 National Team. Seven other UNI players will take part in the all-American Camp.