The University of New England women’s rugby team had three Franklin County athletes on the roster for the 2025 season. Leah Underwood, a graduate of Colchester High School who lives in Georgia, VT, returned to the team for her senior season, while Leah Gervais (Enosburg) and McKenna LaBarge (BFA-St. Albans) played the sport for the first time.
Leah Underwood met Olympic rugby player Ilona Mayer at the VT Green Soccer game in the summer of 2025.
Q&A with Franklin County Rugby players
Leah Underwood
What drew you to the sport? Honestly, the team atmosphere is welcoming. It gave me a sport to play in college. I’ve always been a soccer goalie and a physical athlete. I like demanding and aggressive sports. Rugby was a good way to stay active and join a community that was a good fit.
What did you enjoy about welcoming two Franklin County girls to the team? I was excited to see people from my area play and enjoy the sport. This sport doesn’t exist in Vermont, outside of an adult team in Burlington, so it’s cool to have three of us from the same area playing. I’m excited to see the sport grow in Vermont.
What have you most enjoyed about the game of rugby? I enjoy the adrenaline rush, the craziness of the sport, and the non-stop play. I love the game’s flow.
What surprised you about playing rugby? I was surprised at how many different aspects of different sports cross into rugby. I wasn’t expecting so many of the girls on my team not to have rugby backgrounds. We all learned the sport together, utilizing the skills we’d learned from our other sports.
What has been your most memorable moment? We went to London and Wales during my freshman year and played at Swansea University. It was the first time I’d been abroad or played a sport abroad. It was cool to see how similar the dynamic was, coming from an area where rugby is played with a popularity similar to football in the United States.
What will you remember about meeting Ilona Maher? Meeting her was a complete surprise and an exciting experience. She’s so nice and kind. She greeted us and talked about rugby and how it grows. I told her we had three girls from Franklin County joining our college team at UNE, and she was so kind and welcoming to the conversation.
What were your goals for your senior year? I’m a team captain, so one of my goals was to foster a greater sense of community within the team.
What can you tell us about the UNE college rugby team? It’s a varsity sport through the NCAA. We’re a Division 3 school and compete in the NIRA rugby conference. We usually win our games. This year, I was a hooker, which is part of the forward pack. At that position, my main role is in the scrums–to hook the ball back to the rest of my team during the scrums. I’m always in the front somewhere.
What has been rewarding about playing rugby? Rugby has kept me in really good shape, and I’ve met some of my best friends through the sport. It also provides me with an outlet when life gets stressful.
Would you recommend others try the sport? Go out and try it. It’s not as physically dangerous as it seems on TV. It’s a great way to maintain your strength and endurance. When you join a team, they teach you how to play safely. I’d love to see the game grow in the Vermont community.
Mckenna LaBarge played her first rugby season with the University of New England in 2025.
Mckenna LaBarge
Have you ever played rugby before? No, this was something new for me. I played sports my whole life and love the camaraderie. I loved it in high school, and I’m glad I get to continue playing a team sport in college.
What were your goals for this season? I wanted to learn to understand the sport, find my place on the team, and see what I could provide and what my skill set was. It’s been a great experience and an awesome way to start my college career.
What inspired you to try rugby? I always liked playing soccer in high school. I participated in Powder Puff in my senior year, and I loved the aggression, even if it was flag football. I knew I didn’t want to play soccer in college, and when the rugby team reached out to me, it was a great way to participate in a sport in college and try something different.
I’m four hours away from home, and it was a big transition. I’m grateful to have a group of girls here as a safety net coming into this new experience.
Leah Gervais carries the ball during her first rugby season at UNE.
Leah Gervais
What were you looking forward to about learning a new sport? In high school, I started playing volleyball in my sophomore year. Catching up and learning the game was a blast. I love being challenged and learning new things. I love being an athlete and am grateful for the opportunity to continue participating in athletics in college.
What inspired you to play rugby in college? I was always known as the aggressive one in sports. You know what they say, you get five fouls in basketball, might as well use some (lol). When I told my dad about the opportunity to play rugby, he was so excited for me to take on this next chapter. I’ve had some setbacks and injuries in my life, but I feel so blessed to have this opportunity!
What were your top three goals for the season? I wanted to be a great teammate and carry my team spirit energy to UNE rugby, walk away from the season knowing I gave it my 100 percent, and, of course, have fun with my new team.
What did you enjoy about your first season? Rugby has been a blast. I’ve been so lucky to be a part of such an amazing team. It really feels like we’re all a family. I’m a forward, so I get to do a lot of tackling and get to be a part of the scrums and line-outs when they happen. I definitely was a little nervous to learn a new sport, but our coaches and my teammates are the best and have given all of us freshmen a great environment to learn.
