One year of rugby brings state title, Division I scholarship for Corning's Amanda Stephens
Success on the rugby pitch has come fast and furious for Corning-Painted Post senior Amanda Stephens, but it has not come easily.
Stephens, 18, this week signed a National Letter of Intent to play NCAA Division I rugby at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. That follows an inaugural season in the sport in which she helped the Corning Rugby Club's under-19 girls team to its first state championship last June.
Some much appreciated help from coaches and teammates, a lot of film study, and extra training time helped Stephens pick up a sport outsiders often struggle to understand.
"I had a lot of penalties at first," said Stephens, who lives in Beaver Dams. "I'd say to get the basics down probably about three solid weeks of practice. But obviously I'm still learning and growing. Still learning the rules, tips and tricks and such. But definitely in about a month and a half I had the game down pretty good."
Stephens has played soccer since she was a little girl. While older brother Zach playing rugby gave her an introduction to the sport, it was the soccer connection that led to an athletic scholarship for rugby.
"Sophomore year I was a little scared to join," Stephens said. "But I had a teammate from soccer in 2022 that convinced me to come to the indoor sessions and then I just fell in love with it. And obviously my brother being there, it was in the back of my mind that rugby was a sport. I never thought to pursue it until I was literally dragged to a practice. Then it just clicked with me and I just fell in love with the sport."
She said the physicality of rugby, including being able to tackle, is among the draws. Stephens has also embraced the challenge of learning a new sport.
Stephens has played inside center and fullback for Corning, though she suffered a Grade 2 sprained ankle last weekend that had her on crutches at her signing ceremony April 9 at the Corning-Painted Post cafeteria. She expects the injury will sideline her about a month. Sacred Heart recruited Stephens as an inside center, but she is open to playing wherever needed.
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The state title for the Corning Rugby Club girls was the first for any team from the club, which is coached by Bob McGee and has been around since 2016.
"It was amazing," Stephens said of the state title. "I can't even describe it because they had never won the state championship before. ... Even though I only joined that year, I knew I left behind a legacy that year just by winning the championship for the first time."
The club has sent seven girls and about 10 boys to college programs that compete at the NCAA or club levels. Seeing former Corning rugby players Erin Terwilliger and Gillian Mason sign with Quinnipiac helped give Stephens the confidence she could compete at the college level.
Stephens said playing rugby for Corning has been like being part of a family. The similar sense of belonging and sense of family helped convince her to sign at Sacred Heart, in addition to a very positive impression made by the team's coach. Stephens plans to major in business.
"Her accomplishments in earning a DI rugby scholarship after one full season of playing is a great example of a student seizing an opportunity even when it might not have been a comfortable situation," McGee said. "It takes something special to decide to pick up a new sport your junior year of high school and move outside your comfort zone and develop into a quality player."
Follow Andrew Legare on Twitter: @SGAndrewLegare. You can also reach him at alegare@gannett.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today
This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Corning senior Amanda Stephens signs to play rugby at Sacred Heart
