Ottawa-native overcomes serious injuries to play in USports rugby semifinals

After a devastating injury in the summer of 2015, Michaela Haley thought she would never play another game of rugby.

On Friday, the fifth-year forward will play at Matt Anthony Field in the USports Women’s Rugby semifinals match.

Now a two-time RSEQ champion and two-time All-Star, who lead the team in scoring this season with 55 points and a league high 11 tries, Haley has the opportunity to win a national championship at home in front of her family and friends in what will be her final game of rugby.

But it was a long journey that brought her back to Ottawa.

Haley, a Glebe Collegiate alumnus, attended Acadia University for her undergraduate and although her favourite sport was basketball at the time, she decided to give rugby a try.

“I fell in love with it immediately,” she said. “I was a good (basketball) player, but I was never going to be great, whereas rugby just came naturally.”

Hayley played three seasons at Acadia, but tragedy struck in the summer of 2015 while attending a training camp in New Brunswick. She tore her MCL, meniscus, ACL and hamstring — a traumatizing experience that had her questioning her future of the sport.

“That was probably the hardest experience to date,” she said. “My expectations were just too high for recovery and it was really hard for me to get back to where I wanted to be.”

While she was back in Ottawa the next summer, she decided to play rugby again, playing for the Ottawa Irish under head coach Jen Boyd, the Gee-Gees head coach.

Haley was decided to continue with the sport at the varsity level — but with the University of Ottawa for the 2017-18 season.

“I was re-evaluating what I wanted to do and it just felt like the right place, right time,” she said. “I’m so grateful that the University of Ottawa was able to re-introduce me to the sport.”

Haley isn’t the first in her family to wear the Gee-Gees uniform — her mother, Randa Zeitoun, had played basketball at the university from 1985-88.

“I didn’t realize how cool it is that my mom was also a varsity athlete here,” she said. “And how proud she is, seeing me wearing that jersey.”

As for what she likes best about the Gee-Gees program, she said the community outreach is a favourite aspect.

“Showing what women in sport look like, especially in terms of self-esteem and empowering younger girls,” she said. “It has been really inspirational for me as well, selfishly it makes me feel good.”

Boyd said the community outreach has always been an important part of the program that stems from her experience coaching at the high school level.

“For younger women it’s so important for them to see people that look like them,” she said.

Haley’s dedication to this outreach is one her biggest contributions to the team, Boyd explained.

“She always volunteers to help, and does a lot of coaching in the community and is just really, really involved with the development to the game,” she said. “She’s such a quality person.”