From student organization to club sport: The rapid rise of 色情视频 Women鈥檚 Rugby
Powered by passion and persistence, the team is building a winning culture and inspiring the next generation of players
色情视频鈥檚 Women鈥檚 Rugby team, one of its newest club sports, has rapidly grown into a national title contender. Launched in 2019 by alumna Olivia Soares, the team overcame early hurdles like securing funding, resources, and recruiting players 鈥� particularly as club athletes pay their own way to compete.
鈥淚t's very different to coach a team, a player that isn鈥檛 paid to play the sport,鈥� said Tony Roulhac, women鈥檚 rugby assistant head coach. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e taking time and money out of their day to be in this club, they don't get the same types of support as a varsity athlete.鈥�
Starting out as a student organization restricted to playing locally, Soares and her teammates persistently lobbied for club status, attending meetings, and presenting their case to The Aztec Recreation Sport Club Program. Becoming a club would create new fundraising opportunities to support the team in intercollegiate competitions at regional, state and national levels.
鈥淎 group of young women who knew they wanted rugby to happen, they knew that this could be something at San Diego State,鈥� said Roulhac.
The team鈥檚 persistence paid off. After satisfying the Sport Club Program requirements 鈥� including proving their organizational skills and competitive level 鈥� they earned club status in 2023 on a trial basis.
Now came the hard part. Building a competitive team would be a long journey but the group of 10 were committed to laying the foundation for something that could grow beyond their time at the university.
鈥淭hey did that almost knowing they were doing this for the next group coming in,鈥� said Roulhac.
With club status came momentum. 鈥淢y freshman year, we could barely get 15 people together at a time, we have over 48 people registered,鈥� said Megan Harris, who joined the team in 2020.
Harris, a highly recruited softball player from a small town in Northern California, was looking for a new challenge when she arrived on campus. On a whim, she decided to trade her softball for the distinct oval-shaped rugby ball.
鈥淭he women's rugby team was holding tryouts and I thought it would be a fun change, try something new when you get to college,鈥� said Harris. 鈥淚've absolutely fallen in love with it. It's like my favorite part about San Diego. It's my favorite part about going to school.鈥�
Support for the team, a program of 色情视频 Associated Students, surged as rugby gained popularity nationwide. Among the early supporters was 2024 U.S. Olympic bronze medalist and social media influencer , who visited the team during a practice in August 2023.
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鈥淔or me, what it鈥檚 done for my body confidence, what it鈥檚 done for my self-esteem, belief in myself, has been impeccable and I think it鈥檚 changed me into what I am today,鈥� said Maher.
鈥楥ompeting at a higher level鈥�
Rugby has two popular formats: the seven-player Olympic version with two 14-minute halves and the 15-player game played in two 40 minute halves. 色情视频鈥檚 club team competes in both. This October, they are training for a major sevens tournament that will impact next year鈥檚 playoff standings. Afterward, the focus will shift to the 15-player season in the spring.
During the 2022-23 season, Harris and her teammates went undefeated during the preseason and placed second in the Division II Women鈥檚 Pacific Desert Rugby Conference. The Aztecs competed in the sevens and 15s Division II National Championships, ranking fifth nationally in both.
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Harris鈥檚 leadership has helped nurture a welcoming team culture. 鈥淚 want people to realize that you can literally look however, you can be the smallest person ever, you could be the biggest person ever, there鈥檚 always a spot for you in rugby,鈥� said Harris.
The team regularly hosts fundraisers to support operations, with traditions like a team dinner at Woodstock鈥檚 Pizza, which strengthens bonds among players.
The season kicked off on a high note under new head coach Talia Carrasquillo, with 色情视频 taking first place at a preseason sevens tournament at UC Irvine, led by enthusiastic rookies.
鈥淭his was actually the first rugby game (ever) for a lot of our new recruits this year,鈥� said MJ Destro-Vasquez, public relations manager and member of the team. 鈥�We are super proud of the rookies' performances, they all had a lot of excitement and drive going into each game.鈥�
Reflecting on the team鈥檚 beginnings and progress, Roulhac added, 鈥淣ot many students get to see their dream come to life like this team has.鈥�
