Three former CWU rugby players selected in professional draft

Three former Central Washington University men’s rugby standouts were among the top five picks in last week’s Major League Rugby (MLR) College Draft.

Campbell Robb was chosen No. 2 overall by Anthem RC, Tiai Vavao was selected at No. 3 by the Seattle Seawolves, and Oscar Treacy was picked No. 5 by the California Legion.

Robb plays the hooker position, while Vavao is a flanker and Treacy is a wing. The Australian-born Treacy was named the 2024-25 Rudy Scholz Collegiate Athlete of the Year last spring after leading the Wildcats to the Division 1A national quarterfinals for the fourth consecutive year.

Robb hails from New Zealand and Vavao is from Seattle, where he will be joining former teammate and 2024 draft selection Calvin Liulamaga. With Liulamaga and the three top-five picks this year, the CWU program produced six first-rounders in the six-year history of the MLR College Draft.

The 2025 MLR College Draft featured one of the most talented classes to date. Life University led all schools with four picks in the draft, including two first-round and two second-round picks, while three picks came from Canadian colleges and universities.

The CWU men’s and women’s rugby programs were discontinued this year as the university seeks to close a budget gap resulting from a 3% across-the-board cut to all state agencies for the 2025-27 biennium.

As explained in an April 15 press release, additional factors contributed to the decision to forego the sponsorship of varsity rugby at CWU, including increased operational expenses and the structural deficit the university is facing as a result of lower post-pandemic enrollment.