After defeating Georgia Tech and finishing out the season at 6-2, Eastern may have saved itself from a rebuilding season.

The Panthers lost one game in the three seasons prior to 2012, so when Eastern dropped its first two games this season, something was not right.

Rugby looked amiss without Lauren Doyle, who began training for the national team, and Stefanie Mahan, who was absent because of a facial laceration.

This led many to believe the rest of the season would be more of the same, and the next two years would be used for rebuilding.

That all held true until the match against Kansas State when one player’s performance brought some optimism for the upcoming seasons.

Sophomore center Madison Kissner scored a school-record 10 trys against the Wildcats en route to a 121-0 victory for the Panthers.

Eastern’s victory not only provided hope that Kissner could lead the team this season, but it showed that the Panthers could put up big numbers without Olympic hopeful Lauren Doyle.

The Panthers will have to continue to produce without her and without senior flanker Mahan, who ranks third on the all-time tackles list. Both graduate this academic year and have no years of eligibility left.

Along with Kissner, Kim Youhas, Carissa Burge and Nia Williams have all shown their potential during the 2012 season.

Youhas, the kickoff specialist for most of the year, recorded career highs in all of the major categories, including going 23-of-43 on two-point conversions. Her 42 tackles ranked second on the team.

Ranking first in that category was sophomore scrum-half Burge, whose 44 tackles anchored a solid Panther defense. If anyone can replace Mahan, it is an all-around player like Burge.

Williams created a spark early in the season when she scored six trys in the first three games, but settled down since then, scoring only one try in the remaining five games.

No matter which way the fans look at it, there is a lot of talent in this sophomore class.

Moreover, with the guidance of Eastern head coach Frank Graziano, the rebuilding time may have missed the women’s rugby squad, with only brighter days ahead.

Nicholas Ruffolo can be reached at 581-2812 or nfruffolo@eiu.edu.