Oct 29 2025 | Isaac Garcia | Sports Editor
The fall season is underway for both the men’s and women’s+ rugby teams. After hosting a preseason non-conference tournament over Homecoming weekend, the Wolves women’s+ rugby team will prepare for their first regular season tournament Nov. 1 at the Turf Field on campus. The tournament will include Willamette University and the University of Puget Sound with the first match starting at 10 a.m. The women’s+ team won both of their games at the tournament Oct. 18, setting a positive tone for the fall season early on. Men’s rugby will be preparing for a match against Oregon Tech on Nov. 1st at 2 p.m. after winning against Salem Rugby, who filled in at the last minute after Gonzaga University had to forfeit.
“They did wonderful,” coach Nic Smith, who is in her third season as the Wolves’ coach, said of the women’s+ team. “I’m very proud of them, very pleased with their performance. Are there things that we can fine-tune and get better? Absolutely. But overall, they did the best with what they had in terms of practice time.”
Last season, the women’s+ team was able to qualify for nationals, and they’ll be looking to make it right back this year with a roster that returns a significant number of players as well as an influx of new talent. Among the returning players for the women’s+ team is Jada Miller, who impressed Coach Smith in the opening tournament. “I was really impressed with her leadership this past Saturday. Holding the team accountable and making sure that they did what they needed to do.”
Mia Medina George, a sophomore back and new captain, received Backs MVP, and Leah Waller, a first-year forward, started her college career off strong, receiving Forwards MVP as well as Man of the Match. “Every player on my team has something to offer, and while these ones shine through this past Saturday, I have no doubt there will be moments where others shine through,” Smith said. For the men’s side, they bring Diah Kollaer Junior, Jack George Junior and Aidan Shamion, all solid returners that will be crucial to the team.
In addition to high-quality play on the field, the Wolves put in high-quality work off the field in order to maintain such high performance. According to Coach Smith, returning players have been coming to practice early and staying late in order to help the new players work on techniques and develop their skillsets, and described the more experienced players as very welcoming and very inclusive. Leadership in this form is key to a program having long-term success, especially in a sport like rugby, where many players’ first time playing is in college due to high school programs not being as prevalent as they are in other sports.
Along with hard work, inclusivity is a key trait for the club. For those interested in trying the sport, Smith encourages them to do so. “We don’t discriminate in any way. We are open, we are accepting, we are understanding. I tell my team, ‘Sometimes you’re not going to like each other, but we’re going to respect one another and we encourage healthy conversations to learn different perspectives and erase biases.’” Smith continued on by saying, “We encourage anyone that is interested to come out and try it. Rugby is a place for everybody regardless of your height, your size, your stature — there’s a place for you.”
Donnahoo similarly said, “I have never felt more included or appreciated in any other sport.” Donnahoo talked about what led him to rugby, saying that he began in his junior year of high school after playing sports such as soccer and football. “I immediately fell in love with not only the game, but the community as well.” Donnahoo has aspirations of reaching professional status in the sport, and mentioned the pathways rugby has provided him. These included the opportunity for him to play in an open division tournament in Florida this Thanksgiving hosted by London International 7s, the largest program in the United Kingdom who will be hosting events in the United States.
The Wolves women’s+ team is also very supportive of youth rugby programs in the area. They have a partnership with Oregon Rugby, the high school rugby organization in the state, and Girls Rugby Inc., a grassroots development program for grades two through eight. On Oct. 22, the Wolves welcomed the McMinnville Valley Panthers, a high school club, to Monmouth for a scrimmage in order to help the Panthers prepare for their upcoming championships, which was no doubt a great opportunity for them to hone their skills against older and more experienced players.
“It’s opened up recruitment opportunities, which is good for the university.” Smith also said, “We kind of get to see the present and the future of rugby, and then we also try to have a good relationship with our alumni, and we appreciate those that came before us and built the foundation that we’re growing.” To Smith, promoting the future of rugby is important to the health of the sport and the continuance of its strong community. “There’s a big sense of community and the culture is just like no other. So being able to involve ourselves in different levels of that is beneficial not only for us, but for rugby in general.” Speaking of recruitment opportunities, Donnahoo is the recruitment officer for the men’s team and helps add to the team during the season and after. “This off-season we managed to not only get a good amount of freshmen with rugby experience but also a good amount of new players that are eager to learn the game.”
Because rugby is a club sport, the team relies heavily on fundraising and the support of the local community. To show support for the teams, follow the women’s+ team on Instagram @westernoregonwomxnsrugby and click the link in their bio, which will lead to a page for donations. The Wolves will have merchandise sales and a series of fundraisers starting soon that anyone can stay updated on through the Instagram page as well. Donations go towards funding different team-related activities, such as a trip to nationals, among other things. For the men’s team,follow them on Instagram @westernoregonmensrugby. “I would say the best way to support the team would be to show up to our events that we hold and be active on our social media page, also coming to our games gets us super motivated. I would also say talk about rugby, talk about it to your friends and family, get it more popular,” Donnahoo said. After the upcoming tournament, the women’s+ team will round out their fall schedule with a Nov. 15 tournament at Willamette University and a Nov. 22 tournament at University of Puget Sound, while the men’s team will travel to the University of Idaho Nov. 8 for a game and then to Klamath Falls Nov. 15 for a match against Oregon Tech.
Contact the author at howlsports@mail.wou.edu
