After winning the National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) Division I National Championship in their inaugural season, Nisaiah Berkeley and her Wheeling University Women's Rugby teammates received recognition around the city of Wheeling.
On Tuesday night, the team was honored for their historic season at the Wheeling City Council meeting with a special proclamation honoring the Cardinals for their historic season. The proclamation was signed by Wheeling Mayor Denny Magruder as a testament to their dedication, hard work, and commitment to excellence both on and off the field.
"It was a wonderful feeling knowing how much the city of Wheeling appreciates and recognizes the hard work and dedication of these ladies," said Pape. "I couldn't be more proud to be a part of Wheeling University and this amazing city. Thank you to the residents of Wheeling for welcoming us into the city with such open arms, it truly is the friendly city."
The Cardinals put together a historic season in their inaugural year, going a perfect 12-0 throughout the regular season. They averaged 54.4 PPG throughout the season, including their run on the National stage, while never scoring less than 31 points in any game in which they took the field. They earned the program's first-ever #1 ranking in the NCR Top 20 Coaches Poll on October 16th ahead of their match against Walsh, and never gave up that top spot for the rest of the season. They claimed their first-ever conference championship with a 55-10 win over St. Bonaventure in the Allegheny Rugby Union (ARU) Championship, and put together wins against the University of Virginia (31-27) and Northeastern (35-19) to advance to the NCR National Title game. There, they would take on Southern Nazarene University and the offense soared, picking up a 58-17 win to claim the NCR DI National Title.
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