North Ga. rugby player to compete on national team

DAHLONEGA -- A member of the women's rugby club at North Georgia College & State University has been invited to be a part of upcoming national and international competitions.

Chloe Harper, who is majoring in education with a psychology minor, will be playing for the USA Rugby U-20 (under 20) team during the Collegiate National All Star Championships in Pittsburgh, Pa., on June 4-5. Top colleges from across the country will be vying for the title and competition will air live on a major television network.

Harper also will represent the United States in the 2011 U-20 Nations Cup Tournament, hosted by USA Rugby this summer at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Harper was the team captain for the women's team this year at North Georgia. The team is coached by Dr. Michael Proulx, an assistant history professor. He called the team's performance the past two years "stellar," as they have defeated all competitors in the Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee areas.

"As the faculty adviser for the Women's and Men's Rugby Clubs at North Georgia, it has been a thrill and an honor to coach and work with such passionate players of this sport over the
past two years," Proulx said. "Chloe will represent North Georgia to the nation and the world exceedingly well."

In April, the team placed second to the club team from the University of Georgia in the USA Southern Regional Tournament at Georgia Tech. The team defeated the club teams from Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State during the tournament.

North Georgia's women's rugby club team was started in 2007 and is one of only a handful of rugby club teams playing on the collegiate level in the state. Click here to find the team on Facebook.

USA Rugby was founded in 1975 and is an official member of the United States Olympic Committee and the International Rugby Board. The organization has 90,000 members and is responsible for all 10 of the national teams representing the United States in international competition as well as the development of rugby at all levels.

Founded in 1873 and located in Dahlonega, North Georgia College & State University is the second-oldest public institution of higher education in the state and currently has about 6,000 students. The liberal arts university is designated by the University System of Georgia as a state leadership institution and by the Georgia General Assembly as The Military College of Georgia.