UPDATED Dec. 5 2018: The Life West Gladiatrix defeated the DC Furies 88 – 0 to earn a spot in the Women’s Premier League for the 2019 season. The match was held at Life University’s Lupo Field in Marietta, Georgia.
The official Instagram account for Life West Rugby posted, “Thank you ladies for repping @life_west Chiropractic College, your loved one and yourselves. Three and a half years of building towards playing in the best women’s league in @usarugby. @life_west and @lifewestspi is illustrating the power of chiropractic care in sports performance.”
View the full post here.
Coach Adriaan Ferris and the Life West Gladiatrix in front of SunTrust Park where the Atlanta Braves play.
The Life West Chiropractic College Women’s Rugby team, the Gladiatrix, have been busy working their way up in the rugby world these last two months.
After winning back-to-back national titles in the USA Rugby’s Women’s Division I competition, these Life West athletes are ready for a new challenge. The most competitive women’s rugby division in the United States at the moment is the Women’s Premier League, consisting of 10 women’s teams from across the country. The Gladiatrix will play a challenge match at the end of 2018 to gain entry into the league. Until then, they are working hard to prepare themselves for the challenge.
Gladiatrix stay hot in Atlanta
The Life West Gladiatrix and Atlanta Harlequins on Lupo Field at Life University.
Their campaign began in early September as they made the cross-country trip to Marietta, Georgia.
Playing at the familiar Life University, another chiropractic college with ties to Life West, the Gladiatrix first secured a 29 – 14 victory over the Atlanta Harlequins, a current Women’s Premier League team. The game was hard-fought in Georgia’s humid summer weather and the win did not come without struggle. The competition at this level is most definitely higher, but the women slowly chipped away at a seasoned Atlanta team with patience and grit.
The following day the Gladiatrix played a Life University Running Eagles squad looking for the upset. Because rugby is such a physically demanding sport, the Gladiatrix were feeling the effects in their bodies and lungs from the previous game. The Life West Sports Performance Institute team, headed by Dr. Scott Lessard, provided constant and immediate chiropractic care to the players. The Gladiatrix pulled off a 32-13 win over Life University before heading home.
Life West’s Gladiatrix played fiercely against the Life University Running Eagles squad in Atlanta in September.
Battle of Division I Champions
One week later, the Gladiatrix were back on the pitch playing an extremely competitive match against the Lindenwood University Lions from St. Charles, Missouri — last year’s DI Collegiate National Champions.
The Gladiatrix played without several key players and very few substitutions. The women saw their first loss in the program’s history, losing 24 – 38. Life West Executive President Dr. Anatole Bogatski was in attendance, supporting the women on San Francisco’s Treasure Island, where the match was held.
Gladiatrix bounce back in SoCal
The team most recently traveled to San Diego to challenge another Women’s Premier League team, the San Diego Surfers. The women were able to climb back from their previous loss and come away with another win.
The biggest challenge for the Gladiatrix is still on the horizon, as they wait for their challenge match opponent to be announced in December. Several players suffered injuries during the matches against Life University and the Atlanta Harlequins and are recovering before the upcoming challenge match. Life West wishes them a speedy recovery, and the community offers their full support.
Life West student athlete Elizabeth Cairns contributed to this article.
