For those college teams that compete in spring leagues, the fall is often filled with recruitment, 7s, and tournaments. But some student-athletes have been intensifying these friendly seasons and taking advantage of higher-level women’s clubs in the area.

During week three of the Women’s Premier League, two Stanford players – junior Dani McDonald and sophomore Olivia Bernadel-Huey – appeared on Berkeley’s roster against Glendale. The two highlighted the Cardinal’s back three last season as fast, gritty, adventurous ballcarriers.

“We were encouraged to play by a past coach of ours and current coach of the All Blues, Katrina Logan,” explained McDonald, who is splitting her time between Stanford and Berkeley, but spending more time with the Cardinal. “Practicing and playing with the All Blues is a way to see what playing on a different level is like and shows me what I need to focus on. Playing with people who have played longer means they can spot and show you your weaknesses.”

Their new teammates haven’t just played longer; they’ve played for the U.S. Women’s National Team. During that Berkeley vs. Glendale match alone, there were seven Eagles on the pitch: Katy Augustyn, Phoebe Boone, Sarah Chobot, Joanna Kitlinski, Jenny Lui, Laura Miller, and Hannah Stolba. There are also recent All Americans in players like Jess Lewis, Frieda Fetu’u, and Dot Mittow, among many other decorated players. And that's the key: Plenty of college students are playing for senior women's clubs, but those stints typically happen during the summer and 7s seasons, when WPL-wearied players are either taking a break or busy with national team camps. But the Stanford duo are playing alongside Eagles are building toward a national championship, and that shift in mentality and competitiveness is huge.

Bernadel-Huey played nearly the entire second half against Glendale, while McDonald came on toward the end of the 22-19 decision to Berkeley.

“I played more in the B-side game, which means that the players are a little less experienced so the play is a little more hectic,” McDonald recounted. “Overall though, you can tell that there is more rugby knowledge on the field than in college games.”

The WPL is a great way for duo to advance their individual skills, but McDonald affirmed that she’s focused on doing her part for Stanford en route to nationals. The road has become a little more difficult with the loss of coach Matt Sherman to Army and the introduction of a new regional powerhouse, but changes are afoot.

First, Stanford has acquired Josh Sutcliffe as its Director of Rugby, “and we’re excited to see what he can do with our program,” McDonald looked toward the men’s and women’s teams. Second, there is a new championship, DI Elite, that has invited eight of the top, eligible DI teams around the country for one tournament in the spring. Stanford co-president Daly Montgomery stated that the team has not made any final decisions about the upcoming season – in relation to DI or DI Elite – due to the change in coach.

Stanford plays its first game of the season on Nov. 7 – the weekend before the WPL championship weekend – against DII UN Reno before hosting its own national 7s qualifier on Nov. 14.