Rugby player not restricted by size, injuries

Holly Zoeller was so close.

But after reaching the final round of the women’s club soccer team tryouts her freshman year, Zoeller was cut.

Still wanting to compete at a high level, Zoeller decided to take a chance on a sport she had only heard about from relatives — rugby.

“I really liked the idea of it,” Zoeller said. “Once I started learning the rules, it started to become more and more fun.

“Once I got it down, I loved it.”

Growing up, Zoeller said she was always one of the rougher players on her soccer teams.

That physicality transferred easily into rugby. All of the sudden, Zoeller was not restricted to slide tackling.

“I really liked the idea of being able to tackle someone,” she said.

But her physicality is not what sets her apart, said teammates and women’s rugby coach Johnathan Atkeison.

“She is one of the most energetic and positive players that we have,” Atkeison said.

He said Zoeller has exceptional speed, pointing out her victory at last spring’s Fastest Tar Heel on Campus contest.

She has torn both of her ACLs, one in high school and the other in an Ultimate Frisbee collision in her freshman rugby season. Despite the tear, she continued to play through the remainder of the season.

“She worked harder than you can imagine to get back on the field,” Atkeison said.

Teammate Kimber Rozier said Zoeller leads teammates with a positive attitude and her on-field performance.

“Not only in skill and speed but more so in heart and passion,” Rozier said via e-mail.

By the end of the Women’s Division I Collegiate Playoffs in the spring, Zoeller, then a sophomore, caught the eye of the USA Women’s Rugby U-20 National Team. After a tryout in Santa Barbara, she was invited to join the team.

She traveled with the team to the North America Caribbean Rugby Association Championships. The team finished second in the tournament behind Canada.

One of the smallest women’s collegiate rugby players, Zoeller said she is used to the constant scrapes and bruises.

“She plays a lot bigger than she is,” Atkeison said. “She takes a lot of hits from a lot of people with a lot of size on her, and she gets up every time.”

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.