Bowling Green, Ohio - The Bowling Green Falcons Women's concluded their season on November 17th, as they finished in the Quarterfinals of the 2025 NCR D2 National Tournament following a hard-fought 55-34 defeat to Binghamton University. The match capped off an eventful season for the Falcons. The Fall included some standout victories, which included a 58-22 win over GVSU, a 66-14 win against McKendree, a 50-19 win over Ball State, a 58-6 win over Ohio University, and a 19-13 win over Cincinnati in the regional round. Throughout the Fall season, the Falcons went 4-0 in the Great Lakes Conference, 2-1 in Non-Conference, 1-1 in the National Tournament, finishing as NCR D2 Quarter finalists with a 7-3 Overall Record, 380 pts scored, 203 pts conceded, and a +177 pts differential.
How Grace Found BGSU and BG Women's Rugby
Grace Anderson was born in Sandusky, Ohio. However, until recently, she had spent the majority of her life all over Carolina. Her Rugby journey began at William Amos Hough High School in Cornelius, North Caroline when she joined her high school's team her Junior year. Following high school, Grace enrolled at App State in North Carolina to study Forensic Examination in addition to continuing her rugby career. While at App State, she played NCR D2 rugby in the South Atlantic Rugby Conference.
"I loved rugby, and App State was a place that a lot of people from my high school went to keep playing rugby. App State also had my major, so I went there for my major; however, the fact that they had women's rugby was definitely a consideration when I was picking that school," said Grace Andersion.
After a few years at App State, Grace found herself looking for a change of scenery, which led to her finding her way to Bowling Green.
"The decision to transfer to Bowling Green was a little bit for school and for rugby. I wanted to stay in forensic examination, but I didn't like my program at App State anymore," said Grace. "I also wanted to keep playing rugby. That meant I wanted to pick a school that had both my program and rugby."
Grace's 2025 Fall Season
The Fall season for the Falcons began at home on September 6th against Kent State at 1:00 pm. However, Grace's season began on October 18th in the team's 24-7 away loss to the University of Cincinnati. This was due to Grace getting injured going into the open weekend on September 6th. She missed the first five games of the season due to a torn quad, and that was not enough to stop her from making both the NCR All-Star weekend roster and the NCR D2 All-American list.
"At the start of the season, before our first game, I tore my quad in like five different places. I didn't even know if I would be able to play at the start of the season. Then I got my treatment on my quad, and halfway through the season, I was able to play again," said Grace Anderson. "I am only really able to play for the second half of the fall season. I think the games went really well. I was really happy with it and obviously very happy when I got to the All-Star weekend."
After a decent bit of time out due to her injury, Grace started all five games she was available for. In the regular season, she started in the 24-7 loss to the University of Cincinnati, the 50-19 win against Ball State, and the 58-5 win against Ohio University. Grace then started in both of the team's postseason matches at Fortress Obetz. Those matches were the 19-13 win over the University of Cincinnati in the Regional round and the 55-34 loss to Binghamton in the Quarter finals.
All-Star Weekend
Even though Grace was only available for five of the ten games this season, she only needed five games to show that she deserved a spot in the NCR's All-Star weekend. Similar to BG's men's side, which sent two players to the D1-AA All-Star weekend, the women's team sent three to Atlanta. Grace was joined by her teammates Vivian Novak and Jordyn Barr. However, Grace was the only one to represent the Falcons during the Women's 15s All- tournament for the Hawks, while Vivian and Jordyn participated in the Women's 7s tournament.
"It really made me think about the opportunity to play after college, because before I got selected for all-star weekend, I loved the sport, and I've loved playing it since I started, but I didn't really think about playing after college," said Grace. "Being selected for the all-star weekend kind of made me think that maybe this is something that I could do after I'm finished with school. I would love to play after college. I'm not really sure who or anything like that, but I think if I got an opportunity to play after college, I would definitely take it."
During the 15s All-Star tournament, Grace's team had a good weekend. They played three games in one day, which is always tough to do. Their first match was a 14-10 loss to the Stripes, who were the eventual XVs All-Star Champions. In the second match, the Hawks defeated the Stars 12-10. The final match of the day for Grace and the Hawks was a 38-5 win over the Bison.
All-American Grace Anderson
As previously established, Grace only played five of ten games for the Falcons in the Fall due to a significant quad injury before the first match of the season. We already know that her performances in five matches were already enough to make the NCR 15s All-Star Tournament in Atlanta. However, that's not where the story ends. In five matches, Grace was also named a NCR D2 All-American! She was the only BG Falcon from the women's team to make the list, which clearly shows how much of an impact her return from injury had on the team's performance in the final five games of the season.
"I also made the NCR All-American list for D2. I am the only person from Bowling Green to make the selection for this year," said Grace. "I think being recognized as an All-American just shows me that no matter how the season starts with my injury, I can accomplish whatever I put my mind to, and I'm proud to represent BG and hope to make it again in the coming season.
Message to the Team
Grace's transfer from App State makes her a fourth-year student, although technically holding Junior status. Fortunately for the Women's program, Grace looks set to remain a Falcon going into next Fall. When asked if she had anything to say to her teammates, she said:
"I think we're really excited for hopefully qualifying for another sevens nationals this spring and making it even farther than we did last year. Everyone's just super pumped. We have enough girls to make a B-side for 7s right now. That has everyone really excited as well. Hopefully, next year the numbers are teens, and we'll be able to make it even farther."
Message to Prospects
Grace has a few unique viewpoints. Firstly, she is from out of state. She went to high school in Cornelius, North Carolina, which is an eight-hour drive or roughly two hours by plane. This demonstrates both the reach of BG's Forensic Examination program as well as the Women's Rugby Team. She knows all about the decision to attend school away from home. Secondly, Grace is also a transfer student. She knows about the tough decision to leave one college for another. She transferred to Bowling Green from App State. She knows the challenges of that type of decision, especially when it comes to no longer liking a university program, but still wishing to continue the major. Finally, Grace has been able to overcome a significant injury, which she chose to focus on when asked about her message to any prospects considering BGSU and the Women's Rugby team:
"I would say to never give up on what you want to do, and what you put into it is what you'll get out of it. I've never given up on the sport, and it's never given up on me. The BG team has become like family to me and everyone who joins, so if you're willing to come out and play, we'd love to have all the players we can get," said Grace.
Whats Next
With Grace's Junior status and it only being the Spring semester, there is still plenty of time for her to decide what her next plans are. However, her eyes could be set on continuing her beloved sport post-college.
"I would love to play after college. I'm not really sure who or anything like that, but I think if I got an opportunity to play after college, I would definitely take it," said Grace Anderson.
