Western Washington University women’s rugby team and former players split off into teams for their 2026 annual alumni game on May 10.
Players joined in at 1:30 p.m. at the Robert S. Harrington Field on south campus to play a game of touch-and-contact. Touch games use light touches, while contact games use body-to-body force, according to Ester Anderson, co-vice president of the women’s rugby team.
“We want people who have taken a step back to still have the opportunity to come out and have fun with everybody,” Anderson said.
By bringing in alumni to play, club members are able to play against new competition in order to observe former players’ knowledge on the sport, according to Anderson.
“It’s a great opportunity for alumni to see how we’ve improved,” Anderson said. “Every year, we are trying to do better.”
Huddling in for a chant before their annual match, Lisa Fisher, an alumna who graduated in 1987, was watching proudly from the bleachers. Fisher played rugby for Western’s team, known as the Flames, over 60 years ago.
Back then, players would wear scratchy wool jerseys and practice on the torn-up field where Arntzen Hall is now built, according to Joan Actor, also a former rugby player accompanying Fisher in the bleachers.
“If it was rainy, the best thing to do before the game started was to just start rolling around (in the mud),” Actor said.
The influence of older alumni brings wisdom and knowledge to the field, according to Amaya Coblentz, a Western alumna who played rugby for the university until she graduated in 2024.
“It’s a sport where even people who have been playing for years and years still have something to learn,” Coblentz said.
Western women’s rugby placed fourth in the nation for Division I collegiate rugby this season, according to Anderson. Together, the team practices three times a week and sets aside two additional days for strength training and conditioning.
“This group has done an excellent job at striving for excellence,” Charlie Ronan, alumnus and assistant coach to the women’s rugby team, said. “The last couple of years, we have had players go pro and one player was invited to play on the national USA team.”
Instead of keeping score for this 2026 alumni match, the women’s rugby team wanted to foster a connection with the 10 former players who joined on Saturday.
“It’s always up to the older people to bring it along,” Fisher said. “So it’s great to come back and see them take it so seriously.”
Julianna Quarto (she/her) is a third-year student studying journalism and public relations at Western. She is currently reporting for the sports and recreation beat at The Front. Outside of the newsroom, she can be found doing yoga, playing piano or guitar, or making beats on her computer. You can reach her at julianna.thefront@gmail.com.
