The face of the Dartmouth College women’s rugby programme had to sit on the sidelines last autumn as the squad went undefeated and won the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) title.

A. Ramsey Olympic Games Tokyo 2020

The first woman to play for the Big Green in Olympic rugby, A. Ramsey, tore her ACL while competing for the United States in Tokyo. This will keep her out of action for the upcoming 2021 NIRA season.

A. Ramsey Olympic Games Tokyo 2020

Midway through October saw the Philadelphia native and fifth-year senior return to action, and now she has Dartmouth ready to face Harvard in the championship game on Saturday at Burnham Field.

Big Green’s head coach Katie Dowty remarked, “She’s a different type of quick.” It’s the kind of player who can score four, five, six tries in a game if we can provide her some room to go.

Having her back is quite exciting. The timing is perfect for the team, and (A. Ramsey) is at his best. A. Ramsey grew up in Philadelphia and its surroundings, where she participated in a wide variety of sports.

She participated in six years of cheerleading, as well as track and field, wrestling, basketball, and field hockey. A. Ramsey, however, was recruited to play rugby by a coach who was forming a team for his daughter at Upper Merion Area High School in King of Prussia, and she quickly rose to prominence in the sport.

A. Ramsey’s participation on the high school squad opened doors for him at local clubs and attracted the interest of Team USA. She made an early impact as a freshman in Hanover after committing to the Dowty and Dartmouth team shortly after the varsity program’s inception in 2015.

A. Ramsey scored her first collegiate try in the 2018 NIRA semifinals against Army, and she did it again in the championship game as the Big Green defeated Harvard to win Dartmouth’s first national title.

While there, “she brought a number of recruits with her,” as Dowty put it. Her genuineness and modesty made her the team’s favourite member. That’s crucial for us. A. Ramsey scored 10 tries to lead Dartmouth the following season, but the Big Green’s season ended with a playoff loss to Harvard.

However, A. Ramsey’s popularity continued to rise, and she was selected to the Pan American Games sevens team for Team USA. While 2020 was a difficult year for everyone, it was especially difficult for A. Ramsey because her father also died that year.

A. Ramsey left Dartmouth for the 2020-21 academic year to train with the national team in the hopes of being selected for the team that would compete in the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics after the Ivy League cancelled all sports for that year.

Despite his absence, A. Ramsey still “plays with (my dad) in my heart” when he has the chance to do so. Throughout my participation in wrestling, cheerleading, and life in general, he was there for me. I could always count on him to be there for me.

For the whole year of preparation for the Olympics, A. Ramsey was the youngest player on Team USA. Nonetheless, her performance was strong enough for her to earn a spot on the team of 12. A. Ramsey placed her palm over her lips and tried unsuccessfully to hide her tears of pleasure in a response video she released on her YouTube page.

Just crazy. Our first two weeks were spent at a resort where we were treated like royalty, as A. Ramsey put it. We had access to saunas, hot tubs, massage therapists, and we would just practise. After a week, we headed to the Olympic village.