Lauren Doyle may seem like your average college woman, but her natural athletic abilities have led her to being successful during her second season on the Eastern women’s rugby team.

At Meridian High School, Doyle excelled in volleyball, track, basketball, soccer and was also a member of the cheer squad.

Talented athletes like Doyle are exactly what Head Coach Frank Graziano looks for when recruiting players for his rugby team.

“Mostly I recruit athletes,” Graziano said. “I like high school basketball and track athletes the best.”

Graziano said basketball has balance, footwork, hand-eye coordination, quick decision making in small spaces, and competitive spirit.

“Track has speed and power,” Graziano said. “Lauren has all those athletic characteristics.”

Doyle said she was regarded as the best player on her volleyball team. Also, she was a state finalist in the 100- and 200-meter race in track. She scored over 1,000 points in her basketball career.

Her decision to play rugby at Eastern wasn’t as hard of a decision as she thought.

“I thought about basketball, but I don’t think I would be Division I,” Doyle said. “I kind of always wanted to go to Eastern. I came here for state track in high school and really enjoyed it here.”

Her transition to rugby, from all of the other sports she played, has been a successful one.

Doyle had a solid season in her first year and has really begun to do some damage in her second season.

She led the Panthers with six trys as the women’s rugby team beat Illinois 96-0 Saturday.

“She is a quick learner,” Graziano said. “She has picked up the rugby game very quickly, and even though she is only in her second season I am beginning to teach her very advanced parts of the game.”

Graziano said she is using mostly athletic ability to be successful.

“There is still a lot of untapped potential,” Graziano said.

Off the field, Doyle is a typical college student.

Doyle said she enjoys eating, sleeping, watching movies, and relaxing.

She said she is still a bit uncertain about what she wants to do with her life once college is over.

“I really have no clue what I want to do,” Doyle said. “If I could continue sports that would be great, but right now I have no idea.”

Although she has talent as an athlete, Doyle said her parents have helped her a lot.

“I would definitely thank my parents just because anytime I ever didn’t perform well they would say ‘It’s fine, it was one time. You’re going do great things with your life’,” Doyle said.

Chad Grimm can be reached at 581-7944 or ctgrimm@eiu.edu.

Lauren Doyle a sophomore center had six trys against the University of Illinois Monday in Urbana-Champaign. Eastern Beat Illinois 96-0. (Danny Damiani

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