Before her freshman year at Harvard, Xanni Brown had never played a game of rugby in her life.

Now, as a co-captain of the Crimson’s first-ever varsity rugby team, the senior has a wealth of experience on the field. But in addition to her almost four years as a starter for the squad, Brown has the added experience of having played for the women’s national team in the summer of 2011, less than a year after attending her first rugby practice.

“It was a crazy summer,” Brown said. “It all happened very quickly. But it was a pretty cool opportunity I’m very grateful for.”

Rugby wasn’t on the Cincinnati native’s radar when she came to Harvard.

“I got into [rugby] very accidentally,” Brown said. “They kept trying to recruit me at the Activities Fair, so I thought I would come check out a practice.”

The Radcliffe squad welcomed Brown with open arms, and she quickly showed a knack for the sport. Her experience as a three-sport varsity athlete in high school carried over to the field, and a limited number of players on the team meant that the freshman quickly saw playing time in matches.

“In just my second game I was starting, just because we were pretty short on personnel at that point,” Brown said. “I just kind of got thrown into the fire.”

Brian Hamlin, the club team’s coach, saw Brown’s potential and approached her about trying for a spot on the All-New England regional team. The New England team had already conducted tryouts, and it was too late for Brown to join. But the news didn’t stop Hamlin pursuing an even better option—a spot on the national team.

“I was like, ‘Yeah sure, Brian. Just call the national team coach and tell them you have a kid who started playing rugby like two weeks ago. I’m sure my phone will be ringing off the hook,’” Brown joked.

Hamlin and the assistant coaches at Harvard sent in game tapes to USA Rugby, pushing for her spot at a tryout. For Brown, it all seemed like a nice but far-fetched gesture. That is, until she returned home for winter break to find an email requesting her presence at the national team’s tryout. That March, Brown was on a plane to Florida for the camp.

“I remember landing at the airport in Florida and just seeing these girls who were huge and seemed to know what they were doing and feeling totally out of my league,” Brown said. “I had been playing rugby for less than a year. But it was a really good experience to hear different coaching perspectives and to get to play with a whole new set of players. That was a very talented team, and it was a big boost to be around them.”

She left the tryout with a better grasp on the game—and a spot on the women’s national team.

That summer, Brown travelled with the U20 women’s national rugby team to the 2011 Nations Cup in Santa Barbara, Calif. The Americans hosted British, Canadian, and South African squads.

“Going on tour was awesome,” Brown said. “It’s three weeks where you eat, sleep, and breathe rugby. Getting the lineup and having them play the national anthem while you’re wearing a USA jersey is just a pretty unbelievable feeling.”

Team USA made it to the championship match of the tournament but lost 48-11 to England in the title game. It was a whirlwind summer for someone who had just recently picked up the game.

Now in her final season on the field for Harvard, the senior is relishing in the success of the Crimson’s varsity debut.

“It’s pretty amazing to be a part of,” Brown said. “But it’s been the product of coming into a very strong program. I wouldn’t have been able to get through the March camp without the seniors who took the time after practice to actually pass and tackle and do all the things I didn’t really know how to do. That’s the basis we built this varsity program on.”

—Staff writer Brenna R. Nelsen can be reached at brenna.nelsen@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @CrimsonBRN.