New Coach Appointment Sees CSULB Women Focusing on Winning Rugby

08.23.2023College Women

Cal State Long Beach women have brought in Rudy Bautista as their new head coach.

Bautista used to coach Los Alamitos HS girls and he has working with him a staff of three assistants: Jocelyn Ortizano, Leeanne Nguyen, and Crystal Elston..

Sierra Boyajian will serve as treasurer.

For Bautista, this is the first step in bringing CSULB women into the arena of higher-performing programs. They compete in D2 of the Pacific Desert League alongside the likes of San Diego State and two-time CRAA champs Claremont Colleges.

Bautista wants the 49ers to challenge at the national level the way Claremont Colleges has.

"I'm very excited to get people talking about women's rugby in our area," Bautista told GRR. "I’m planning on building up the basic core skills and making an immediate impact in our division. The Long Beach mens team gets all the rugby attention but I want to change all that. The women’s team needs all the support and attention too."

There's recruiting work to be done on-campus, as always, but Bautista said that a renewed effort to compete and play a serious level of rugby will attract high school student-athletes, as well.

"There are so many girls in the Long Beach area that stop playing rugby or go [away] for school and rugby. They shouldn't have too. Other local colleges have had rugby teams but folded. Girls who have been playing rugby since under-12s should be able to stay local if they want to and play on a respectable college team."

By taking the game and preparation seriously, and with some on-field success, Bautista said he can attract more rugby-playing girls to the college.

Those girls who've been playing rugby aince there were U12 should be able to stay local and play on a respectful college team.