ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Central Washington University (CWU) is making headlines with its decision to discontinue its rugby programs, leaving athletes in a state of uncertainty. The announcement came just two days after the men’s and women’s rugby teams completed their seasons.
CWU Athletic Director Dr. Dennis Francois announced on April 15 that the men and women’s rugby programs would be discontinued starting the next school year. This decision ends the 12-year tenure of the varsity-level sport at the university.
Many players, including international students, are feeling stuck with limited transfer opportunities. Campbell Robb and Aja Good, two rugby athletes, expressed their dismay.
“We just kind of got robbed of some people’s careers possibly,” said Robb.
“The little girls that were once us…all their hearts are broken and kind of their dreams are crushed,” Good said
The athletes were informed about the discontinuation during a team meeting on April 14, which caught them off guard.
“You hear it’s going to be a team meeting. You think you’re going over film…it kind of caught me off guard,” said Good. Robb described the moment as surreal, adding, “Everybody’s heads went down, everybody’s jaws at the ground.”
The decision to discontinue the programs was made in January at the beginning of the winter quarter, but athletes were not informed until three months later. Dr. Francois explained that the delay was to avoid distracting the athletes from their games. However, both Robb and Good wished they had been told sooner.
“It’s going to destroy us anyway. I would have rather played my heart out knowing that this is really going to be the last time,” Robb stated.
The university has announced it will honor current rugby athletic scholarships for the 2025-26 school year. This is crucial for international student-athletes like Good, from Canada, and Robb, from New Zealand, as scholarships play a vital role in their education.
Good expressed concerns about the impact on her visa and academic progression, stating, “There’s a lot more pieces to the puzzle than just entering the transfer portal.”
Robb highlighted the challenges for international students, noting that they face restrictions on working hours and visa changes.
“Scholarship money was a big part of coming here because it’s one out of state tuition and two international students can’t work apart from it being on campus,” he said.
For Robb, plans to train with CWU in the fall are now uncertain. Good, with one year left of eligibility, wishes for more support from the school.
“Everyone’s still mad and upset. I mean, I when I knew that it was real, I started to cry. It broke everybody’s hearts,” Good said.
