CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Voting is now live for fans to vote for Harvard Women's Rugby's Tiahna Padilla '26 and Gemma Ogoke '29 as finalists for the MA Sorensen Award, given each year to the top collegiate woman rugby player in the USA.
 
Fans can vote for Padilla and Ogoke as finalists for the award until March 31 at 11:00 p.m. Both Padilla and Ogoke were announced as nominees for the award in February.
 
The MA Sorensen Award honors MaryAnn (MA) Sorensen, a trailblazing player, coach, and physician who captained the United States to a championship at the 1991 Women's Rugby World Cup and later competed in two more finals. Her legacy celebrates excellence on the field and beyond, and she continues to present the award annually at the Washington Athletic Club awards dinner in Seattle.
 
This marks Padilla's fourth nomination. The senior captain has been instrumental in leading Harvard to a historic three-peat, earning MVP honors for the second time this fall and First-Team All-NIRA recognition for the fourth consecutive year. A member of the USA senior pipeline since her first year, Padilla holds the program record for career assists. This season, she tallied 95 tackles, 11 turnovers, six assists, and 66 carries, while setting up two clutch tries — including the game-winner in the Dartmouth Ivy Title match with a last-second line break and offload.
 
Ogoke, a first-year, delivered a breakout campaign en route to First-Team All-NIRA honors and a 2025 NIRA Division I championship. She led the team with nine tries — the first time a forward has topped the scoring chart — and added 117 tackles (91 percent success rate), 18 turnovers, and 92 carries. Her standout season earned invitations to winter pathway camps with Rugby Canada and USA Rugby, along with a spot at the USA senior domestic camp.
 
The list of nominees will be pared down to a group of four or five finalists, and the selection panel will then vote on the winner. The MA Sorensen Award winner will be announced in June at the Washington Athletic Club in Seattle.