Although UNM’s women’s rugby team plays at a Division I level and has a better record than the UNM football team, the program goes unfunded by Athletics, which means team members pay out of pocket to play games.
Njeri Henderson, co-captain of the Lobo rugby team, said without recognition from the NCAA, playing the sport is difficult.
“We do not get the proper recognition or funding, which we deserve and need,” Henderson said.
Co-captain Jade McLaughlin said the team struggles to raise enough money to compete. McLaughlin said away games, which often require buses and hotels, cost around $1,000 and home games cost around $250.
Tim Cass, senior associate director of Athletics, said sports not recognized by the NCAA in the Mountain West Conference are ineligible for funding from Athletics.
“The league we compete in, the Mountain West Conference, doesn’t have rugby,” he said. “If you were to have rugby as a Division I sport, you wouldn’t have a league to play in. Could you get membership into a different league? Maybe. But your travel cost would be extremely high.”
New Mexico is one of the least popular states for rugby. Both Cass and Henderson said the main obstacle preventing rugby from being recognized by the NCAA and the Mountain West is lack of popularity. With fewer than 800 collegiate members, New Mexico lags behind states like California, which has more than 7,200 members, according to USA Rugby membership statistics.
But nationwide participation in the sport is on the rise.
More than 32,000 college athletes registered to play rugby in 2010-2011, a 14 percent increase from 28,000 in 2008-2009, according to USA Rugby membership statistics.
Without NCAA certification and funding from Athletics, teams such as rugby are left at a disadvantage. Official sports teams have access to south campus facilities, tutors, advisers and buses, but sports clubs are a different story.
Henderson, who manages and plays on the team, said juggling school and rugby is tough.
“It’s difficult to be both a good student and athlete,” she said. “I myself am double majoring in biology and psychology for pre-med. I have 18-plus credit hours this summer and still have a GPA well over 3.5.”
The team, who is currently 2-2, finishes up its regular season in May.
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Gerald Polanco contributed to this report.
