In just her second season as a member of the Eastern rugby team, Coartney McKinney is making the transition from the fullback position to the flyhalf position.

In rugby, the fullback position is traditionally a more defensive position, while the flyhalf position is focused more toward contributing to the offense.

Her most recent offensive display occurred in the team’s last game against Wisconsin-Milwaukee when McKinney successfully shot a penalty kick with no time remaining to give the team a 29-27 victory. McKinney said Eastern head coach Frank Graziano gave her encouragement on her game-winning shot.

“Coach had faith in me to take the last shot, so I took a deep breath and forgot about all the pressure and went for it,” McKinney said.

Through the first four games of the season, Graziano said while he is pleased with the progress that McKinney has made, he believes that there is still room for improvement.

“Her transition from fullback to flyhalf is right where it needs to be right now,” Graziano said. ” Just like a running back (football) switching to quarterback, the view of the game changes. That is what (McKinney) is going through right now. Some days, things look very easy for her and other days they don’t.”

Graziano said with time and practice McKinney will be able to make quicker decisions from her new position.

McKinney, a Charleston native, said while the view of the game has changed with the switch of positions, she feels her responsibilities on the field is what she must pay attention to.

“I have worked all spring and all training camp to prepare for my new position,” McKinney said. “As a fullback, we kind of act like a safety in football, with the fact that we are the last line of defense for the team. Now, I must make more decisions about whether to quickly kick the ball or try to set up the offense.”

Even though McKinney has only played four games at the flyhalf position, her offensive impact on the team is already being felt.

The junior ranks second on the team in points with 47, while also going 19-for-31 (61.3 percent) on her conversions. McKinney leads the squad in penalty kicks connecting on 3-of-5 opportunities.

In addition to her current statistics, McKinney also set a new conversions record last year, going 11-of-18 against Ball State. Also, McKinney holds the all-time record for conversions in a season with 55, which she set last year.

McKinney, credits her experience in playing soccer for her ability to kick with accuracy. She played soccer for Charleston High School.

McKinney’s teammate, junior Emily Harrison said McKinney’s past experience with soccer has helped her develop her offense.

“I know that in the past she played soccer,” Harrison said. ” As a flyhalf there is a lot of kicking going on, so it certainly benefits her having some past experience.”

Neil Schneider can be reached at 581-7944 or jnschneider@eiu.edu.

Charleston native Coartney McKinney, a junior flyhalf, has proved herself to be a valuable asset to the rugby team, scoring the game-winner on a penalty kick in Saturday’s 29-27 victory over Wisconsin-Milwaukee at Lakeside Rugby Field.(Karolina Strack/The

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