The
athletic college sophomore was looking for a competitive sport to play. The
coach was in need of girls who wanted to try a new sport and was looking for
athletic ability and enthusiasm. Want
met need as Cranford resident Krystin Orrico immediately caught Coach Becky
Carlson’s eye at an open tryout and the rest has been history for the nascent
program at Quinnipiac College, which led by Orrico is 7-0 in its second varsity
season. Orrico, a fullback, leads the team in points and in her most recent
game against Hofstra scored 30 points on 15 of 20 conversions. A conversion is
attempted after a score and is not akin to an extra point in football because
it is not taken from a stationary point.
“She has made an immediate impact with no rugby knowledge
prior and has grown into a team leader in the last two seasons,” said Carlson.
Orrico,
a former Cranford High School soccer player was a starter for the 2008 Cougars
and was also a successful club player for the Central Jersey Stars, a team made
up of Cranford, Scotch Plains and Westfield girls. When she arrived at the
bucolic campus in Hamden, CT, Orrico considered trying out for soccer but
decided against it.
“I had been injured so many times in high school and club soccer
and didn’t want to get injured playing college because it might have impacted
my studies,” said Orrico.
Although
she played two years of coed intramural soccer, it did not satiate her
competitive juices. Missing the excitement of competitive athletics, Orrico
jumped at the chance to attend an open rugby tryout conducted by Carlson, a
former rugby star at Eastern Illinois. Only 12 of the 50 girls at the tryout
were selected to play for the first Quinnipiac team in 2011, which took its
lumps but showed improvement late in a 3-6-1 season.
“Krystin stood out right away with her kicking ability and
speed,” said Carlson.
“We didn’t worry about them not knowing about the game. We
have done a lot of teaching and Krystin has been an excellent learner,” added
Carlson, who in addition to being a spectacular player and successful coach is
also an ambassador for the rapidly growing sport, which is often played at a
club level.
Rugby
advertises itself as having the grace of soccer, the speed of track and the
power of football and according to an NCAA study is just as safe as soccer. So far this season, there has been only one
ankle sprain among the 23 girls on the team. Orrico had her first introduction
to rugby from her older brother Bill, who played club rugby at Drew University.
“I was familiar with it from watching my brother play and
wanted to try something new. It looked like a fun and challenging sport but
playing it has been even better than I expected,” said Orrico, who loves the
camaraderie of her team.
“I love the team dynamic most of all. Everybody on the team
is relatively new to the game and nobody thinks they are better than anyone
else,” said Orrico.
Orrico’s
greatest forte is on conversions where she uses foot strength and accuracy to
give Quinnipiac a tremendous weapon on set pieces. Carlson uses Orrico to take all conversion
kicks and marvels at her ability in picking up a new sport.
“She is
an amazing kid. I wish she had a few more years of eligibility”
.
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