Penn State prop Hope Rogers has been named as the first-ever MA Sorensen Award Winner as the best women’s college rugby player in the country.

The award, presented by the Washington Athletic Club of Seattle, Wash. in conjunction with Goff Rugby Report, will be formally presented at a gala event on June 11.

Rogers concluded her Penn State career at the end of the fall, leading the Nittany Lions to another successful season. The powerful prop earned a callup to the USA National Team while still an undergrad.

“I am really honored,” said Rogers. It’s just really exciting for this award to be there.”

The Sorensen Award is named after MA Sorensen, who played rugby William & Mary and went on to represent the USA at prop. She was part of the 1991 World Cup Champion team. Sorensen went on to become a successful coach and an even more successful doctor.

Rogers playing for the USA, and Penn State.

The Sorensen Award has been created with the blessing of USA Rugby as a way to honor the best players in the country. In the fall, a panel of six was convened to select nominees for the award. That panel - BYU Coach Tom Waqa, Life Coach Rosalind Chou, Penn State and All American Coach Kate Daley, USA Rugby Associate College Director Tam Breckenridge, The Rugby Breakdown Editor Jackie Finlan, and Goff Rugby Report Editor Alex Goff - selected a group of 15 players: 

Saskia Morgan, Brown; Jordan Gray, BYU; Haley Schaefer, CWU; Nate Serevi, CWU; Yejadai Dunn, Dartmouth; Nicole Strasko, Life; McKenzie Hawkins, Lindenwood; Bitsy Cairns, Penn State; Gabby Cantorna, Penn State; Hope Rogers, Penn State; Meya Bizer, Penn State; Taylah Pipkin, Penn State; Tess Feury, Penn State; Olivia Bernadel-Huey, Stanford; Katie Lutton

The college rugby-playing public was then asked to vote for their choice - each team was given one vote. That vote whittled the group down to three finalists: Rogers, Morgan, and Lutton.

The Panel then reconvened to vote for the winner.

The Sorensen Award will be given each year to the top Women’s DI-level college rugby player in the country.