CWU women’s rugby standout receives national player of the year honor

Central Washington University Athletics celebrated its second national player of the year award of 2023 last Saturday when women's rugby standout Keia Mae Sagapolu was honored with the MA Sorensen Award.

The award, given to the top women's rugby player in the nation, was presented to Sagapolu during a special gala at the Washington Athletic Club in Seattle.

According to an article on WildcatSports.com, the 5-foot-6 graduate student from Tacoma became the first Wildcat ever to win the award after being nominated for a third consecutive year. Teammate Tessa Hann was also nominated this year.

Sagapolu joins CWU women's basketball standout Samantha Bowman, who won the Ron Lenz Division II National Player of the Year Award in March.

The Sorensen Award is named after MA Sorensen, a World Cup winner for the United States in 1991. She was a trailblazing collegiate player at William and Mary, and a highly successful and respected coach, ambassador, and anesthesiologist.

Sagapolu, who has played prop for four seasons at CWU, is known for using her size and strength to push the scrum and help the team win dead ball set pieces. She was a force on the field for the program over the course of the 2022-23 season, helping the 'Cats finish 11-7 overall.

Sagapolu's prowess also helped her earn a spot on the USA Women's Eagles Rugby National Team. She traveled with the team to Madrid at the end of March to take on the Spain Women's Lions Rugby Team in a preview match, which the Women's Eagles won 20-14.

Sagapolu also was named a starter for the national team-the only current college player to earn that distinction-and she was one of eight players on the roster to receive their first international caps. Sagapolu and Hann most recently traveled to Brazil with the USA Women's U23 team, which brought home the Americas Rugby Trophy.

"Both Tessa and Mae have put together an outstanding season this year as they continue to add to an amazing career here at CWU," head Coach Matthew Ramirez said in a recent article on WildcatSports.com. "It's fantastic to see them get the recognition for their efforts."