Life University Release – Marietta, Ga. – The Life University Women’s Rugby Head Coach Rosalind Chou announced the hiring of Kittery Wagner Ruiz as an Assistant Coach with the addition of Corinne Heavner as the new Graduate Assistant.

“We were so lucky to bring Kittery on this past spring as a guest coach and her impact was immediate. She has a great ability to teach an inspire our athletes and bring the best out of them. It worked out that she’s taking on a new role of head coach for the Women’s Premier League team, the Atlanta Harlequins, so we could have her with us full time in the fall. She will be mentoring not only our student-athletes but our coaches as well,” Chou stated.

Wagner Ruiz brings a wealth of experience to the sidelines, as she transitions from coaching for the Glendale Raptors. She has spent the last two seasons at the helm of the program and was previously the Assistant Coach for the USA Under 20 Women’s National Team. She remains the lead coach for Atavus and a College Advisor for The Rugger’s Edge.

She was also the Forwards Coach for the Glendale Raptors for a year with a year as the Head Coach for the West Select Side 7s. She began coaching with a three-year stay as the Assistant Coach at St. Lawrence University. In her playing days, she spent eight years on the USA Women’s National 15s Team and played in the 2010 and 2014 World Cup. She also played for two seasons on the USA Women’s National 7s Team and was selected to the 2009 World Cup Training Squad.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to work with such an amazing group of athletes and to coach alongside a dedicated and passionate coaching staff,” Wagner Ruiz said.

Heavner comes to Marietta from Pomona, NY. She played for the New York Rugby Club for six years, as well as seeing time with the USA u17 and u20 teams. She recently graduated from Penn State University with three bachelors degrees in criminology, sociology and African-American studies. In her time as a Nittany Lion, she claimed four national championships in 15s there as well as a few 7s titles.

Recently, she has coached the New York Rugby Club u19 program as well as the State College Pennsylvania high school program. Beyond the college field, she also has been playing with the Old Blue women’s team for the past four years with two national championship finals appearances.

“Corinne had a great career at Penn State as a player and is excited to start a new chapter in coaching here at Life University. She comes from a storied program, built on excellence, and we know she will bring that experience with her to Marietta to help us continue to grow as a program,” Chou stated on her new Graduate Assistant.

“Playing against life University the past couple years has really made me admire the program and I’m extremely excited to be a part of it. I hope I can give as much as I can learn!” Heavner said.