The Claremont Foxes — the 5C women’s rugby team — are one of the most successful Division I programs across the campuses. Yet, as a non-varsity club team, they often triumph without the institutional spotlight afforded to other varsity teams, making their sustained success all the more striking.
On Feb. 28, the Foxes secured their spot at the College Rugby Association of America (CRAA) Championship Weekend in a home game against UC San Diego. With a final score of 45-19, the Foxes remain undefeated in their league games, placing them at the top of the table for the Pacific Desert Rugby Conference (PDRC) — a record-breaking season performance.
In 2023, the Foxes moved from Division II to Division I of PDRC following two consecutive National Championships. The veterans of the 2023-2024 season left a lasting legacy that subsequent captains have continued to carry.
“Although I can only speak to the past year, it’s very clear, having been on the team for this time, that everything we have achieved now has been built upon for at least the past five years,” winger Rocky Ortiz CM ’28, who scored a hat-trick in Saturday’s game, said.
Current Captain and fly-half, Laila Hannum SC ’26 — who recently declared for the women’s elite rugby draft — was a member of the team during the shift in leadership and has since contributed greatly to the program’s ongoing growth.
The team’s competitiveness often overshadows the realities of a 5C club team — the team does not recruit, consists of many novices and does not cut returning players.
In fact, only three players came to the Claremont Colleges with prior rugby experience.
“Our team consists of high school wrestlers, paddlers, swimmers, lacrosse players, water polo players, skiers, gymnasts, dancers, soccer players, hockey players and people who haven’t even played sports,” flanker Dina Soriano PO ’29 said.
This truth is a testament to the team’s ethos. Alongside the work of their dedicated coaches, the team places utmost importance on peer mentorship as a means of growth. This mission is backed by praxis, seen in the team’s response to a ban on transgender athletes competing in the women’s division by USA Rugby.
“In light of USA Rugby’s decision to adopt anti-transgender regulation, the Foxes want to reaffirm that we are a space for everyone,” read the team’s Instagram. “Our team is inclusive and accepting of all athletes, and we will continue to build that community here in Claremont. We encourage all teams, men’s and women’s, to do the same.”
The Foxes’ commitment to building a supportive and inclusive community to support their team proved fruitful this season, as they have succeeded in defeating rivals from substantially larger programs. Many of the other top teams in the PDRC, such as Grand Canyon University, which is ranked two points behind Claremont, operate with the advantages that come with being a well-funded varsity program — formal recruitment pipelines and tuition assistance that attract experienced high school players.
While there may be a resource gap, the Foxes overflow with ambition. Their status within Division I rugby is sustained largely by player commitment, on and off the field.
“We are not a varsity team. The things that would be different if we had that kind of funding, believe me,” Hannum said. “Our president [Hannah Maycock CM ’26], probably, puts in about 15 hours [a week] outside of practice into making sure this team runs. If we weren’t a club sport, this is not stuff we would be doing, [we] would just be athletes.”
Maycock, alongside other members of the leadership committee, pours their heart into the team. Ortiz said that, like many club sports, the Foxes must jump through additional hoops just to stay competitive. In the presence of many well-established programs across the campuses, club sports and their basic needs are often treated as an institutional afterthought.
With regionals on the horizon, the Foxes’ leadership still has to fight for adequate field space. Their two practices a week are sometimes relocated minutes before the designated start time, placing the team on pitch-black fields with no light fixtures. On multiple occasions, the Foxes turn to practicing contact and line-outs on an indoor basketball court.
“It can feel like a hindrance at times, but it also makes us so grateful for each opportunity we have and for each other because we are all putting so much time and effort into making sure this team can compete at such a high level,” Hannum said.
“It can feel like a hindrance at times, but it also makes us so grateful for each opportunity we have and for each other because we are all putting so much time and effort into making sure this team can compete at such a high level,” Hannum said.
It may seem counterintuitive that a sport with sanctioned collisions brings about this kind of tenderness, but without it, the team would not be nearly as triumphant as it is today.
“The rugby here is so close to my heart because when I first arrived as a CMC freshman, I didn’t feel super comfortable on campus as a woman of color from a big city, who is also gay,” Ortiz said. “For me, [it was about] community and having people that truly care for you no matter what.”
At its core, the team is built upon this intention, accountability and adoration for each other. Every day, players come ready to spend hours teaching rookies the fundamentals of a sport that is highly dangerous if not played properly. In turn, every player absorbs the bruises, the travel costs and that administrative labor that sustains the program.
Self-sufficiency can render emotional and intellectual labor invisible to outsiders. No formal acknowledgement can encompass the sheer amount of work that goes on behind the scenes.
“It would be really nice to get a little bit more recognition, not just from the student body, but from the schools themselves,” Ortiz said. “We have had the privilege of representing the 5Cs on a national stage and a D1 stage; we just wish there was a bit more of an effort put towards understanding [this].”
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