The 2026 Women’s Elite Rugby (WER) season concluded with a familiar scene — the Denver Onyx lifting the championship Legacy Cup. In the league’s second season championship, on August 8, the Onyx defeated the Bay Breakers 24-17 at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado.
“Going into the season it was pretty much on the top of our list of what we wanted to do, to be able to come back and prove winning last year wasn’t a fluke,” said wing fullback Kaitlyn Broughton. “We started the season off with a loss to the Bay Breakers, who we ended up beating in the championship. It was something that really lit a fire under us.”
That early season loss was the only match the Onyx lost all season, finishing regular season WER play 9-1. “It was making sure that we had each other’s backs,” said Broughton. “We did everything that we needed to do, whether it was extra skill practices, making sure we were getting in our recovery, getting together and making sure that we had our structure down. Playing together and continuing to have fun.”
WER is a professional league, but most of the players balance playing with full-time jobs. Broughton is a data integrations developer for the State of Colorado and says she, her teammates and all the players in the league are willing to sacrifice their time to grow the sport of rugby.
“[Playing professionally] means everything, especially knowing the women who came before us didn’t have these opportunities,” said Broughton. “To be able to take what they talked about and now build it for the women who will come after us, is something that’s just so beautiful. To watch this idea come to life and be a part of growing it for the generations to come is amazing.”
Broughton also coaches youth rugby and even has a part-time job at an ice cream shop, but her rugby dreams are well known by her employers, who are incredibly supportive. At 32, she knows her time to play the sport she loves is limited, so she’s giving it her all. One of three Black players on the Onyx, she hopes her presence helps foster diversity in the sport.
“It’s understanding that at times there will be sacrifices and also understanding that there are some of us that get really lucky with the people we have in our lives,” added Broughton.
