Courtney Williams, flanker for Penn State, is a major asset to the Nittany Lion pack. Hailing from State College, Pa, Williams loves the opportunity to represent her state school.
It all began for Williams during her freshman year of high school. The tackling aspect of rugby first peaked her interest and eventually, she gave up softball to focus on rugby. “I started playing rugby my freshman year of high school. I didn’t really know much about the sport except that you get to tackle people and I thought that was pretty cool. At the time when I started playing rugby, I was also big into softball and had planned to go to college to play softball. However I fell in love with rugby and later quit softball to focus more on rugby,” said Williams.
Williams, an athletic training major, counts her blessings for her amazing teammates she has become so close with over her career at Penn State and the high level of competition she get to play in. She continued, “Playing with Penn State has made me who I am as a rugby player and as an individual. Having 45 best friends that you spend so much time together on and off the field with really makes the experience that much better. In the ongoing four years that I’ve played with Penn State, I feel that the amount of rugby knowledge I have obtained is tremendous. The amount of high level rugby that is played here is just so incredible and really allows for growth in our team.”
One of the perks of playing with such a high level team is having the opportunity to travel and play rugby internationally. To date, Williams has been all across Europe and has another trip coming up this spring break. These trips also serve as a phenomenal bonding trip. “Every year, the women’s rugby team
travels overseas during spring break to play high level competition to get ready for the big spring season. To date, I have traveled to France, Ireland, and Spain, with Italy coming up this next spring break. Not only are you traveling somewhere completing new, but you’re doing it with the rest of your team. We go there to play rugby but to also to bond as a team. These trips have been where I’ve really been able to connect with my teammates on a much personal level,” said Williams.
This year, the Nittany Lion look to continue their dominance in the country as they will try to compete for yet another national championship. Be sure to check out Courtney and the rest of her team in action this year!