Jordan Kamenz: Denver Pioneers Flanker Rising in U.S. Women’s Rugby

Jordan Kamenz is a college women’s rugby flanker for the Denver Pioneers who first gained national attention during the 2024 NCR Division III season. After helping Denver reach the national semifinals, she was selected as Great Waters #14 at the NCR Women’s All-Star 7s Tournament in Atlanta in January 2025. Her rise has coincided with a period of explosive growth in women’s rugby across the United States — from the professional launch of Women’s Elite Rugby to record-breaking youth participation numbers — making her story one of the most compelling in the current college game.

What makes Kamenz’s trajectory particularly noteworthy is its origin. She did not grow up playing rugby. Before she was competing for turnovers on the flanker line, she was a competitive swimmer in Wisconsin. That cross-sport foundation, combined with a rapid development curve at Denver, has positioned her as a player whose ceiling remains largely unknown — and increasingly difficult to ignore.

From the Pool to the Pitch — Her Athletic Background

Early Sports Roots in Wisconsin

Jordan Kamenz’s competitive instincts were forged in the water, not on the grass. High school records show her competing on the junior varsity swim team at Waukesha South High School in Wisconsin, where she was part of the winning 200 freestyle relay team alongside teammates Allison Woznicki, Kenzie Range, and Audrey Banske. That relay experience — timing, trust, pressure performance in a team setting — planted seeds that would later bloom in a very different sport.

Swimming builds a particular kind of athlete. The discipline demands relentless repetition, body awareness, and the mental toughness to push through discomfort in isolation. These qualities do not always translate to team field sports. But when they do, the results tend to be exceptional. Kamenz carried that foundation into a sport that demands all of those attributes and adds the complexity of physical confrontation, spatial awareness, and split-second decision-making under contact.

Finding Rugby at the University of Denver

The University of Denver has established itself as one of the more competitive Division III rugby programs in the country. The Pioneers reached the NCR national championship game in 2023, losing to St. Bonaventure by a single try — a result that fueled serious motivation heading into 2024. For a player like Kamenz, entering a program with that level of ambition and infrastructure meant that development would accelerate quickly.

Women’s rugby at the collegiate level has expanded significantly in recent years. Female participation in the sport grew by 19 percent from the 2022-23 to 2023-24 season, with more registered girls than boys in high school rugby during the 2024-25 fall season for the first time. Programs across all divisions have benefited from this surge, and Denver’s position as an established DIII contender made it an ideal environment for an athlete making the transition from another sport.

The flanker position Kamenz adopted demands a unique combination of physical and cognitive skills. It requires the fitness to cover more ground than any other position on the field, the tackling technique to stop opponents in open play, the aggression to contest possession at the breakdown, and the game intelligence to anticipate where play is heading before it arrives. That Kamenz reached a national semifinal level while still being described as a player in her “breakout” phase is a significant data point — it suggests that the foundation she is building has room for considerable additional growth.

What Makes a Flanker?

For readers unfamiliar with rugby, the flanker is a back-row forward who operates at the intersection of defense and attack. Flankers are typically the first to reach the breakdown, the most frequent tacklers on the field, and the players responsible for disrupting opposition ball while providing support for their own team’s attacking phases. It is widely regarded as the most physically demanding position in the sport.

Kamenz’s recognition during the DIII season and subsequent All-Star selection suggest she was delivering consistently in several of these areas — enough to stand out among hundreds of competing players nationwide.

The 2024 Breakout Season

Denver’s DIII Championship Run

The Denver Pioneers entered the 2024 season with unfinished business. Their 2023 championship loss to St. Bonaventure by the narrowest possible margin — a single try — had left the squad with a clear objective: go further. Led by returning All-American captains Selena Bodedein at No. 8 and scrumhalf McKenna Dutton, alongside All-American prop Emma Callaghan, Denver had the leadership and talent to make a serious run.

They delivered. The Pioneers advanced to the NCR Division III national semifinals, joining teams including the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers, who were making their first-ever appearance at that stage. The competitive depth of the national bracket had grown considerably, and reaching the final four represented a genuine achievement for the program and for every player on the roster.

What Set Kamenz Apart

Within a squad featuring multiple All-Americans, Kamenz emerged as a breakout contributor at flanker. Her ability to compete at the breakdown, maintain work rate across full matches, and contribute to Denver’s defensive structure drew attention from coaches and scouts beyond the Pioneer program. In a position where individual contributions are often measured in moments — a crucial turnover, a covering tackle, a hard carry that keeps a phase alive — Kamenz was producing those moments consistently enough to earn national recognition.

The fact that this was happening during what was still effectively her developmental phase at the collegiate level made it all the more significant. Players who break out early in their college careers, before they have fully matured physically and tactically, tend to project the highest ceilings. Kamenz was showing the rugby community that her best days were still well ahead of her.

NCR Women’s All-Star Selection — January 2025

Great Waters #14

The NCR Women’s All-Star 7s Tournament is one of the most visible individual showcases in American college rugby. Selection is competitive — regional conferences nominate their best players, and the resulting rosters represent the top tier of collegiate talent across the country. In January 2025, Jordan Kamenz was identified as Great Waters #14, placing her among the elite of the college game.

For a player whose 2024 campaign had been a genuine breakout, earning an All-Star nod within months of that breakout was a powerful confirmation. It told the broader rugby community that what Kamenz showed during the DIII season was not a fluke or a hot streak — it was the baseline of a player on a genuine upward trajectory.

The Atlanta Stage

The 2025 All-Star event brought over 650 of the top men’s and women’s college players to Silverbacks Park in Atlanta. Professional scouts and national team coaches were present throughout, evaluating talent for national tours, including a 7s trip to Portugal and broader preparation around the Rugby World Cup in England. Performing in front of that audience is not simply an honor — it is an audition for the next level of the sport.

NCR’s scouting staff and the Women’s High Performance program used the tournament to identify players who could transition into national development squads. The competitive intensity of All-Star events, where elite athletes from different programs must quickly form cohesion, tests a different set of skills than regular-season play. Kamenz’s ability to perform in that environment — unfamiliar teammates, elevated competition, heightened scrutiny — demonstrated adaptability that goes beyond raw talent.

The NCR championship ecosystem has continued to grow. During the 2024-25 season, over 30,000 fans attended NCR postseason and championship events, with ticket sales increasing by 15 percent. NCR events were streamed to over 200,000 unique devices, while 75,000 fans followed along on social media and 35,000 engaged through the NCR app. College rugby’s audience is expanding rapidly, and the players competing at these events are benefiting from that increased visibility.

2025-2026: The Landscape Shifts

The 2025 NCR Division III women’s season brought significant changes to the competitive landscape. Colorado School of Mines — the program that had been a first-time semifinalist alongside Denver in 2024 — went a step further, winning the 2025 Women’s Division III National Championship. That progression from newcomer to champion in a single season illustrates just how quickly the DIII women’s game is evolving and how thin the margin between contenders has become.

Denver’s own 2025 season reflected a program continuing to compete at a high level, though the specific details of their postseason run are part of a season that saw increased parity across Division III. What is clear is that the Pioneers remain firmly in the conversation among the nation’s top DIII programs, and players like Kamenz — now with semifinal experience and an All-Star selection on their resume — are central to that continued competitiveness.

The 2025-26 NCR championship schedule has been set with major events across three rugby markets:

The Women’s All-Stars event returning to Silverbacks Park in Atlanta on January 24-25, 2026 provides another high-profile opportunity for players like Kamenz to perform on a national stage in front of professional and national team evaluators.

The College-to-Professional Pathway

How the Pipeline Works

The pathway from college rugby to professional and international careers in the United States has never been clearer. It follows a recognizable progression:

1. College program performance — building a statistical and video record over multiple seasons.
2. All-Star and national tournament appearances — creating visibility with professional coaches and national team selectors.
3. USA Rugby pathway programs — elevation into national development squads and age-grade teams.
4. Domestic professional leagues — entry into professional contracts through leagues like Women’s Elite Rugby.

Kamenz is currently at stages one and two of that path. Her 2024 season established her credentials. Her All-Star selection expanded her visibility. What happens next depends on continued performance and the opportunities that performance creates.

Women’s Elite Rugby: From Concept to Reality

The most significant structural change in American women’s rugby in the past decade has been the launch of Women’s Elite Rugby (WER). The league evolved from the Women’s Premier League’s “Ignite the Change” campaign, which began in 2022 to professionalize the women’s game. In April 2024, the league was formally announced as Women’s Elite Rugby, and by March 2025, six founding teams were competing in a full professional season.

The six founding teams — Bay Breakers, Boston Banshees, Chicago Tempest, Denver Onyx, New York Exiles, and Twin Cities Gemini — represent markets with strong existing women’s rugby communities. WER’s first game took place on March 21, 2025, with the Boston Banshees defeating the New York Exiles 29-27. The inaugural season culminated in the Legacy Cup on June 29, 2025, where the Denver Onyx — an evolution of the Colorado Gray Wolves — dominated the New York Exiles 53-13 to claim the first championship in league history.

The Denver Onyx’s dominance has continued into the 2026 season. As of mid-season, Denver leads the WER standings with a 9-1 record and 45 points, followed by the Bay Breakers at 8-2 with 41 points. The league’s second season has featured meaningful mid-season roster moves, including USA Eagles Rachel Ehrecke, Paige Stathopoulos, and Cheta Emba returning to league play, and Tiahna Padilla — the 2025 MA Sorensen Award winner as the top collegiate rugby player in the country — entering the professional ranks through the TC Gemini.

That Padilla won the Sorensen Award and was drafted directly into WER is significant for players like Kamenz. It demonstrates that the college-to-professional pipeline is real and functional. For Kamenz, developing in Denver — a city that now has a championship-winning professional women’s rugby team — provides a tangible target for what comes after her college career.

The Bigger Picture: Women’s Rugby in America

Jordan Kamenz’s rise is part of a much larger story. Women’s rugby in the United States is experiencing a period of structural transformation unlike anything in the sport’s domestic history, driven by three converging forces: grassroots growth, professional league development, and international success.

At the grassroots level, the numbers are striking. Female rugby registrations in the United States increased by 19 percent from the 2022-23 to 2023-24 season. During the 2024-25 fall season, there were more registered girls than boys in high school rugby for the first time — a milestone that reflects the impact of the Women’s 7s team’s bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics and the broader visibility of women’s sports. Programs like Rugby NorCal’s Fall High School Girls 7s League and Rugby Pennsylvania’s Emerging Girls Rugby initiative have been instrumental in driving this growth, with several schools now fielding multiple teams.

Globally, rugby’s reach continues to expand. World Rugby reports that over 9.6 million people play the sport worldwide, with a global fan base exceeding 405 million. Women’s participation has been identified as the single largest growth opportunity for the sport globally, and the United States is at the forefront of that expansion.

Women’s Elite Rugby has added a professional dimension that did not exist before 2025. The league has partnered with the You Can Play Project to create inclusive team cultures and has made all matches available through the Women’s Sports Network, increasing accessibility for fans. With the 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup set to be hosted in the United States, the building blocks being laid now — from youth development through professional competition — are designed to ensure the sport is positioned for mainstream success by the time the world’s best arrive on American soil.

Kamenz’s story sits at the intersection of all these forces. She is a college athlete in a growing program, in a city with a professional team, in a country where women’s rugby is expanding at every level. The opportunities available to her today would not have existed five years ago.

What’s Next for Jordan Kamenz?

The NCR 2025-26 championship calendar offers multiple opportunities for Kamenz to continue building her profile. The Women’s All-Stars XVs and 7s National Cup returns to Silverbacks Park in Atlanta on January 24-25, 2026, and the Collegiate Rugby Championship — the largest college 7s tournament in the country, featuring 144 teams — takes place April 24-26, 2026 at the Maryland SoccerPlex. Both events attract professional scouts and national team coaches looking for the next generation of talent.

Within the Denver Pioneers program, Kamenz’s combination of national semifinal experience and All-Star recognition places her among the most accomplished players on the roster. As the program continues to compete for DIII honors, her role will be central — not just as a contributor on the field, but as a standard-bearer for what the program can produce.

The broader trajectory is the most interesting part. The gap between college rugby and professional rugby in the United States has narrowed dramatically. Players who demonstrate the right combination of performance, athleticism, and coachability at the college level now have a clear pathway to professional contracts with WER teams. Kamenz, developing in a city where the professional team has won the first two Legacy Cups, is in an enviable position relative to most college players nationwide.

Conclusion

Jordan Kamenz’s story is distinctive not because of a single headline moment, but because of the pattern it represents. A swimmer from Wisconsin who found rugby in college. A breakout season that led to national recognition. A development curve that continues to point upward in a sport that is itself rising.

She did not arrive in college rugby with a decade of experience or a highlight reel from youth national teams. She built her reputation through consistent performance at the DIII level, earned her All-Star selection through the quality of that performance, and now operates in an environment — a strong program, a professional city, a growing sport — where the next step is tangible rather than theoretical.

Women’s rugby in America is in a fundamentally different place than it was even three years ago. Professional leagues exist and are thriving. College pathways are clear. Youth participation records are being broken. Players like Kamenz are not just benefiting from that growth — they are part of what is driving it.

Watch the DIII national brackets this season. Watch the All-Star rosters in Atlanta. And keep an eye on the WER draft boards. If Jordan Kamenz’s trajectory through 2024 and into 2025 is any indication, the next chapter of her story is likely to be the most interesting one yet.