This summer, Addison Carvajal ’16 of the women’s rugby team was named a 2014-2015 USA Rugby Collegiate All-American, an honor that only 55 college players and two New England Small College Rugby Conference athletes received.
Before coming to Bowdoin, Carvajal had never played the sport. In fact, she was recruited for track and field and also tried out for the soccer team. Asked to try rugby by many friends and peers, Carvajal said she “was vehemently against it.” Wanting to play a serious sport, she did not think rugby would meet the standards and levels of competition that she was used to.
Luckily, her sophomore year, Carvajal’s friend convinced her.
“I loved it the second I started playing,” said Carvajal. “It was a very athletic sport, there was strategy, anything you could possibly want in a team sport.”
Since then, Addison has played a different position each year. She started as an open-side flanker, and was moved to the outside center in the backline, and this year she will change yet again to the position of fullback.
Head Coach of Women’s Rugby MaryBeth Mathews noted the impressiveness of Carvajal’s ability to adapt and her willingness to try to learn a new position each year while learning the sport.
“Even as a new player, with her athletic abilities and her speed, she was an asset on the team,” said Mathews.
Since she started, Carvajal has developed immensely as a player.
“When I first started,” said Carvajal, “I pretty much thought if you just put the ball in my hands, I’ll run forward and score...and not have to do anything else.”
However, Carvajal explained that she has learned the importance of seeing the field and working with her teammates in order for success to happen. Mathews noted Carvajal’s “determination to be good at what she is doing,” often staying late at practice, asking questions and constantly striving to be better.
The All-American award is not the first time Carvajal has been recognized for her rugby abilities. Carvajal attributes much of the recognition she has received to Coach Mathews, who put her name out to the coaches of the U.S. national team and launched her into that pool of players to be recognized. As a result, last year she was invited to train with the U.S.A. Rugby National 7s Team at the U.S. Olympic Training Center and had access to an intense week of training with national coaches and players.
As a junior, Carvajal was also invited to the National All-Star Camp, which she attended in Colorado in August. At the camp, she had further coaching and experienced a higher level of competition in both 15s and 7s rugby.
“Just being exposed to those coaches and having literally the best training of rugby in the United States is really really lucky,” said Carvajal. “I try to take as much of what I learn and bring it back to this team. I see it as an opportunity to make the team that I’m on, and that I love, better.”
“Going to the sevens camp a year ago was beneficial for her catching and passing, which then allowed her to be more successful in her new position in the backfield,” Mathews said.
“She strives to be very good at what she is doing,” she continued. “She is committed to her team—she will not let them down—and she is a smart athlete.”
Carvajal says that the All-American honor has given her motivation for her senior year campaign, especially as she undergoes the positional change to fullback.
“It relieves me a little; it gives me a lot of confidence that they recognize that I do know what I’m doing out there,” said Carvajal.
Mathews said rugby is a bit like a chess match: it’s a game where intelligent players learn how to maneuver and manipulate defenses in order to exploit weaknesses and get ahead. Along with her teammates, Carvajal exhibits these skills necessary to succeed in the sport. Beyond Carvajal’s athletic ability, footwork, strength and speed, Mathews applauded her leadership and work ethic.
“She is a good role model, and a vocal one on the pitch, which is very important in rugby,” Mathews said. “She understands what the controllables are and what the uncontrollables are. Her strong voice from fullback will be an asset to the team this season.”
After graduation this year, Carvajal plans to re-evaluate the commitment of playing rugby on a national level.
“An opportunity like the Olympics or even just training with people like that is a once in a lifetime thing,” said Carvajal. “So my view is that if I’m healthy I’m going to go for it for as long as I can and see where it takes me.”