2023-24 Terry O’Reilly Memorial Scholarship Recipient: Ava Reuter
A lifelong football player, Ava Reuter transitioned to the rugby pitch during her junior year of high school. Ava found a home in Eagen Rugby Club playing primarily at the #8 position. She was a two-time MVP, First-Team All-State Minnesota select player and served as team captain in her senior season. She was also named to the Minnesota 7s All-Star team. In her senior season alone, she scored 37 tries across seven regular season games. She appeared at #8 with the Minnesota Select Side team and helped lead the club to back-to-back state championship titles. Ava earned invitations to the USA U18 Rugby East Development Camp on two occasions.
“I had the pleasure of coaching Ava for two seasons. In those two seasons we went undefeated and won two state high school championships. Ava played #8 for Eagan, and she was a force to be reckoned with. When Ava first started playing, she picked up on the game fast, she was very coachable and took the feedback and applied it on the spot. She was not shy of contact and made level two tackles every time. Not only did Ava lead on the field as a strong player she was a strong teammate. She was a leader to her teammates and supported them no matter what. She always showed sportsmanship on and off the field,” said Whitney Swenson, Eagan Rugby Club Head Coach.
Reuter graduated from Chippewa Falls Senior High School in Chippewa, Wisconsin with a 3.96 GPA. She was a multisport athlete also competing in football, basketball, and track and field earning varsity letters in all three sports. She was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and highly involved in the Central Lutheran Church Youth Group. Ava committed her free time to community service projects like spearheading a donation campaign to support Chippewa Falls Fire and Emergency Services, volunteering with her local YMCA Learn to Fish program, coaching local youth sports teams, and many more endeavors.
She will attend Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri where she will major in biology with a focus in pre-veterinary medicine. She hopes to help lead Lindenwood to a national championship title during her tenure. After the completion of her collegiate career, she plans to attend veterinary school while enlisting in the United States Army Veterinary Corps. Ava’s career goal is to work in the Army as a field veterinarian serving on humanitarian missions. If the opportunity arises, she has an interest in playing at the professional level. Ultimately, she intends on pursuing a coaching role within youth rugby.
