After a years-long hiatus, San Jose State attempted to build some momentum and join the DII West Coast conference for the 2017-18 season. Halfway through the year, however, the numbers dwindled and the team withdrew from league play. It could have been another downward turning point in the program’s inconsistent history, but instead the Women of Sparta rallied, in more ways than one.

Enter Tiffany Lopez. The former taekwondo national champion had taken a break from her lifelong pursuit, and was looking forward to watching a childhood friend play in a rugby match.

“She invited me to practice, which I thought was strange considering I just wanted to watch a game,” said Lopez, who is now familiar with the recruitment tactic. “They could only get 10 players to practice and were just getting 15 for game days.”

Lopez fell in love and got in some game time at wing at first and now at fullback and inside center, before San Jose State withdrew from the league in late 2017. Come graduation, the team was left with 4-5 returners for the 2018-19 season, and so they committed to an aggressive recruitment plan that eventually saw numbers surpass 40 players.

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“A lot of people talk about Fresno State [and its success], but we actually built a lot around their program,” Lopez said. “Their president and coach Amber [Ott Cluff] took us in over the summertime and gave us good perspective on how to grow a good women’s program. They were really helpful and are one of the kindest teams in the conference.”

Coach A PIece Of The Puzzle

The team was also looking for a coach and got lucky when Lopez met Fonda at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in San Francisco.

“He works for USA Rugby and has coached all around California, but this is his first time with a women’s team,” said Lopez, who is the current president. “I told him we were looking for a coach, that I could do a lot of the administration and recruitment, but we needed someone with rugby knowledge. There was something about him … he hopped on and just looked for hard work, and kept it fun. It wasn’t something we were expecting. We had other [coaching candidates] who wanted a huge payout from an unestablished team. He’s been the biggest thing to build off.”

Captain Stephanie Rosales, a Fresno State alumna, and forward captain Ella True were integral in creating structure and molding the team in a positive direction, and continue to lead the on-field performance. The newcomers surprised the veterans as well, and freshman rookie Monique Kohlstadt is leading the league in points (80) and tries (16) scored.

“It’s amazing because we weren’t expecting to have that talent on the team this year,” Lopez said. “We were really looking for quality athletes that we could shape up.”

Talent Brings Results

Positive results followed. The team is 3-1-1 with a loss to reigning league champion Fresno State, tie against second-place St. Mary’s College, and wins over Santa Clara, UC Santa Cruz and CSU Monterey Bay.

“We were expecting to work hard this semester but weren’t expecting to be contenders in playoffs,” Lopez said. “But prior to this semester, we looked at the standings and realized playoffs might be doable. We spent the whole winter break doing supplemental training, fixed our nutrition, and did more to establish a team bond. We’re really proud of the girls with the amount of the inexperience we have on the field, and the amount of support we have is pretty amazing. I think we made a huge impact at San Jose State, too, and that’s a huge win for us and the girls.”

There’s still five weeks of league play, so a lot can happen in the 10-team West Coast conference. While this season is already a win for San Jose State, it’s now eying playoffs.