College rugby scholarships are a real option for the modern female high schooler, but that doesn’t mean all of the best talent is heading to those programs. The post-high school formula varies for every student athlete, and there other influences aiding players’ choice of education and rugby. BYU is one such program, and the Tom Waqa-led powerhouse is welcoming some Leti Hingano, Eternity Tenney, and Emma Workman to the fold.

“These are special cases where the decision to come to BYU was more personal, and academic than anything else,” Waqa said. “I'm just excited to get these high caliber high school players from the system, coached by some good coaches in high school. They require very little coaching at college level, which gives us more time to spend with the other new players.”

Fresh off of the Can-Am Series with the Women’s Junior All American (WJAA), wing Leti Hingano will punch up the Cougar back three. Daughter to Danville head coach Simi Hingano – who formed the team so his daughters could prepare for college rugby – Leti has been the driving force behind the Lady Oaks’ rapid ascent into the top tier of high school rugby. A fullback for the Northern California club team, Leti is that perfect mix of power, speed, and tenacity – something that became quickly evident during her game-ending try with the WJAAs against the Canada U20s when she was playing wing. She came up through the Girls High School All Americans (GHSAAs), where she was a part of the LVI 7s-winning team, the first showing for the program. Her younger sister, Mata, played for the WJAAs in last year’s Can-Am Series and could join her sibling after her senior year.

Emma Workman has also been a star on the five-time national champion Fallbrook high school club team. The flanker took a brief hiatus when she moved to Texas, but returned to Southern California as sharp as ever. At this year’s nationals, she teamed up with WJAA Michel Navarro and the pair were devastatingly good force in the breakdown and in the open field, both scoring numerous tries and setting up innumerable others. Workman further developed her innate leadership abilities with the GHSAAs, captaining the forwards from flanker during the program’s first-ever 15s tour against the BC U18s last weekend. The All Americans won both games by a combined 103-17.

Eternity Tenney comes out of Orem, a program that has speedily risen to the top of Utah’s high school league. The Lady Stallions are the owners of the previous two 15s (and 7s) state championships, and turned heads during the LVI 7s, where they beat one of the GHSAA sides. Tenney, who plays flyhalf and inside center, was in the middle of it all, directing a hard-running, fast-spinning offense. She was named the Utah State Championship MVP and led her team to the Rocky Mountain Challenge (the Regional Cup Tournament) title, where Orem competed as a stand-alone team. Eternity, like Leti, has a talented younger sister, Charity, who will also be sought after come graduation.

Danville, Fallbrook, and Orem all output top-notch players, and Waqa is hoping to further develop these club and parental relationships in the upcoming years.

BYU’s season begins on Sept. 26, when the Cougars kick off their Mountain West conference schedule against Air Force Academy. The highlight will occur on Oct. 24, when BYU travels to Central Washington for a friendly that has been in the works these past two seasons.