Graduate student Christelle Alce joined West Chester women’s rugby as a walk-on player in her junior year and she has only gotten better since then.
“She has learned a lot about the tactics of rugby in the last few years which has allowed her to play many positions on the field and to become a more rounded player,” head coach Anthony DeRemer said.
Her growth in rugby is apparent, as she is now a regular starter for the Golden Rams. She has started all four games of this season.
“I have a quicker understanding of rugby knowledge,” Alce said. “A lot of situations become more clear to me as they’re taught to me.”
The 2022–23 season is her fourth year on the field with the team. Alce has played every position in the scrum: prop, hooker, lock, flanker and 8-man.
She has also played the fullback and wing in the back line when needed. In the last game, she started as a wing against Lander University.
As an all around player, Alce has started all of this season after starting three of the four games of the 2020–21 season. She has one try as of Oct. 14 for five points. She has five career tries.
“In the last two years, Christelle has grown into an important part of the Golden Rams team bringing fire, enthusiasm and athleticism to the table,” DeRemer said.
Alce is a persistent and determined player on the Golden Rams.
“She sets her mind to something and then she does it,” senior Anne Kelekolio said.
She has shown that she is a hard player to tackle in her play. She has often run through tackles and forced opponents to use three players to get her down.
Along with being a heavy hitter, Alce has lots of speed. Her first try of the season was a long run from behind center field to the try zone.
“She is one of the hardest runners I know,” sophomore Brooke Crago said. “Everything she does on that field she does 110%.”
Alce has been a great presence on the field for the Golden Rams and a presence for other teams to worry about.
“She is constantly always going for the ball, always going hard in the tackles,” Kelekolio said.
Alce and the Golden Rams will be back in action on October 28th against American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts. Currently, they plan to play two games. One against AIC’s A side at 5 p.m. and another with both teams’ B side at 6:30 p.m.
After that, the Golden Rams will play Davenport University on Nov. 5. They will compete in the NCAA DII semifinals on Nov. 12. If victorious then, the team will move on to the final on Nov.19.
Ty Hickey is a second-year media and culture major with a minor in Chinese. ch983713@wcupa.edu