Underdog.

That’s the word that comes to mind when talking about the women’s club rugby team at NC State.

“A lot of teams view us as the underdogs. So we have a lot of drive and we almost felt like we were fighting for it a little more so that attitude drove us throughout the season and each tournament,” junior fly-half Lily Smith said.

NC State’s women’s club rugby is coming off its best season in history since its founding in 1994. The team began competing in sevens last year, and this year traveled to Nationals for the first time, placing 10th in its division.

Sevens Captain, senior Ava Darling, and Smith both credit the new talent and strength on the team with being the secret to the group’s success. One-third of the roster was rookies, and rookies scored 22 of 65 total tries in the 2026 season, with the top novice scorer being freshman Eve Caudill with eight tries. She is also the third top try-scorer on the team.

“I really think it comes down to the athletes that have joined this year. We have a really strong rookie class, where a lot of them are bodybuilders and lifters, just really good athletes,” Darling said.

Head coach Jeff Sommer credited this team’s success to the newcomers as well, but also the existing leadership on the team and its star player, senior Campbell Kerr. Kerr, or “Noodle” to her teammates and coaches, was named to the All-Tournament D1-AA team and had 125 total points this season.

“We played 14 players on the weekend [Nationals] and relied heavily on new players to step-up to the challenge,” Sommer said. “Our leadership core players kept the team together. You got to give Noodle props for always coming in clutch and changing the course of several games in our favor.”

Building off the back of the Olympics, where the USA Women’s Rugby team earned its first-ever medal, there has never been a better time to get into women’s rugby. Smith and Darling don’t hold tryouts for the club team, as they want it to be a place of accessibility for all women and a way to uplift women’s sports.

“Our club prioritizes a social and inclusive aspect, where anyone who is interested in joining is welcome, and we don’t want any stipulations behind if you have to be good enough an athlete to be a part of this community,” Darling said.

Rugby isn’t the most popular sport at NC State, but Darling and Smith think that the camaraderie and fun experiences are what set the team apart from the rest of the club sports on campus and what keeps people coming back for more.

“Its a very physical contact sport, everyone is pretty much just wrestling, but as soon as that whistle blows, everyone shakes hands and we’re all social together,” Darling said. “It’s a very welcoming community.”

“It’s all about trusting your teammates and making sure you’re working together as a unit, a whole,” Smith said. “Coming out to that one practice, we make it very fun and engaging to make sure everyone feels welcome no matter their skill set.”

The team is here to stay, from their devotion to promoting women’s sports and the game of rugby, to their engaging atmosphere and rising rookie class, it’s only up from here.

“Our recruitment has been really good, and from rugby already being a small sport and being a women’s team, we want to continue to grow that,” Smith said. “Everyone is welcome to come learn this amazing sport with us.”