It takes some athletes decades to win a major championship. For Chatham’s Sydnee Nolan, it took only a few short months.
Nolan, an Ursuline College graduate, recently won an Ontario University Athletics women’s rugby title as a member of the Queen’s University Gaels, upsetting the five-time reigning OUA champion Guelph Gryphons.
Nolan and the Gaels went on to win Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) bronze following their OUA title.
Most university freshman athletes have a spot reserved on the bench, but Nolan’s spot was on the field, as she started at scrum-half all season.
“The poise that Sydnee has shown this year is extraordinary,” said Queen’s head coach Beth Barz. “She has a veteran group of forwards that run a high-tempo attack and experienced backs behind her. She has grown very quickly in her decision-making and is highly focused on field both in practice and in games. As a staff, we’ve had very high expectations for performance and she has met every one of them.”
According to Nolan, who played for the UCC Lancers rugby team in high school, and also competed with the Kent Havoc in Chatham, the opportunity to play university rugby has changed her life.
“Playing in the OUA final was an amazing experience. I feel honored to have played alongside such a high calibre, veteran rugby team,” Nolan explained. “We had no doubt in our team and what we could accomplish, and we accept nothing but the best because that’s what we’re capable of. Being part of the women’s rugby program at Queen’s has changed my life.”
Despite her individual success, Nolan attributes her ability to play and contribute at the OUA level as a freshman to the coaching and experience she gained in Chatham from her coaches and family.
“For Sydnee to start at scrum half for Queen’s all season as a 17-year-old is a major accomplishment,” said Nolan’s high school coach at UCC, Scott Morkin. “To help bring Queen’s their first provincial championship speaks volumes about Sydnee’s passion for the sport and her work ethic.”
He also pointed out Nolan’s dedication to training, calling Nolan the best passer in UCC history.
Morkin believes the sport still has a long way to come locally in terms of athletes receiving recognition. This despite the accomplishments of Nolan and other athletes such as Kent Havoc teammate and Blenheim resident Breanne Nicholas, who was named the OUA Shiels Division rookie of the year with the Western Mustangs.
Rugby has been a part Nolan’s life for many years, as her father played competitively in Ontario and for the Kent Havoc. Although rugby may not yet receive the same recognition in Canada as sports such as hockey at the Nolan household, it’s a focus, and Sydnee’s father Chad is proud she has followed along his path, and is now blazing a trail of her own.
“It’s such an honour to have your children want to follow in your footsteps as it is, but to see them surpass yours and start making their own is beyond words,” he said. “I have played the highest levels in our country and I’m certain if Syd wants to, she will as well. We are opposites in our skill sets, but our heart and work ethic know no boundaries, and she has time on her side. The entire family is so proud and I will always be her biggest fan.”
