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“If you have what Mackenzie has, then I like to say that you have the ABCs of athletics,” says UBC head coach Maria Gallo. “That stands for agility, balance and co-ordination, and that’s what makes you an all-round athlete. And it makes teaching the skills of the sport so much easier.”

Lee was focused on soccer throughout her formative years and didn’t play her first full rugby season until the 11th grade at Langley’s Walnut Grove Secondary. Yet her blend of power, size and speed have allowed her to thrive on the pitch among the speedy backs.

“When I first saw Mackenzie, I just thought, ‘This girl is a forward just because she is just so physical,’” remembers Gallo. “But she told me that she played in the backs, and was a centre, and she has the speed to back it up.”

That speed has translated to the 7s game and last March, Lee and the rest of the Birds showed their promise by winning that sport’s unofficial CIS national tournament in Burnaby.

Now, as her academic load begins to beg for more of her time, Lee is faced with the prospect of deciding whether or not she will be able to return to the UBC 15s rugby team next fall.

“Next year my longterm goal is to try and play for Canada, to try out for them and to be that good,” she begins. “CIS for me is the best place to try and do that and I would love to come back and be a co-captain again. But I also have to factor in my education and for speech pathology, that means getting a masters degree. So everything is going to be timing.”