Belmont Shore Wins HS Club, MS Nationals

For the third-straight year, Belmont Shore has won the Tier 1 crown at the Girls’ High School 15s National Tournament, held May 15-16 in Salt Lake City. The Lady Whales won the high school club and the middle school 15s divisions, completing an impressive double. Up next: Single-school champ Eagle High School. [lead photo: Jackie Finlan]

“We get to share this with our littles,” Belmont Shore Director of Rugby Robert Pahulu said of the third title’s significance. “It just shows us how far we’ve come, the direction we’re going, and the things that you can do as a unit, as a group. This is a big accomplishment and to celebrate it with the middle school and high school, with us — it makes it that much sweeter.”

The High School Club division did not take a pool or bracket format this year, as only four teams committed to the top tier. (See full results). Instead, there was a set of semifinals on Friday and then finals on Saturday. Both games were 60 minutes long to make up some of the lost field time that the traditional three matches provide.

Speaking with coaches and scouts, one understands the pros and cons of such a format. Coaches preferred to play a longer match against a single opponent versus two shortened matches against two out-of-state teams – fewer unknowns. Meanwhile, scouts prefer whatever format provides more time on the pitch so they can maximize their time evaluating prospects in person.

With that said, “There’s just so much [talent] here in Utah,” said Annekkia Ritter-Truxal on her first recruitment trip as the new AIC Women’s Rugby Association Head Coach. In addition to AIC, scouts and coaches from USA Pathways (Sue Whitwell), NCAA DI Army, Dartmouth, Harvard, Lindenwood and Sacred Heart, and NCAA DII New Haven were on site taking in all of the action.

At 10 a.m. Friday, SoCal’s Belmont Shore and Utah’s United took over the championship pitch, while NorCal’s SacAir Amazons and Utah’s Majestics kicked off on the adjacent grass field. Within this quartet, each team has won at least one title at this annual national 15s tournament.

“It was a bit shaky for our first game,” Belmont Shore senior and Life University commit Nila Lolesio-Pua said. “We weren’t really awake and we needed the first half to get our feet. But we came back the second half and got the win.”

Belmont Shore held off United 24-19 for a berth to the Saturday final. Meanwhile, the Majestics knocked off the SacAir Amazons 34-5 in the other semifinal.

“United really, really impressed us,” Lolesio-Pua said of whether the team was finals ready. “They’re a bunch of beautiful and talented girls, and they really gave us a good game.”

Meanwhile, the Majestics knocked off the SacAir Amazons 34-5 in the teams’ semifinal, setting up for the third-straight year a Majestics vs. Belmont Shore finale.

“I’m very excited and also nervous,” Lolesio-Pua said ahead of the final. “But I always look forward to playing the Majestics and United. They’re so talented, and they always give us a good run for our money.”

Both teams have national championship experience, but the 2026 trip was especially important to the Lady Whales. There is a big senior class and it starts with the incomparable Sydney-Rae Pua, who directs the game from halfback. The Belmont Shore icon is joined by a slew of rising collegiate freshmen. NCAA DI Lindenwood University has made out the best, signing four Lady Whales: Renny Faletoi, Allison Honeycutt, Brooklyn Moala and Aries Popoali’i. Life University, which won an unmatched three national championships this spring, has Lolesio-Pua and Zoe Zumbro heading to Marietta, Ga., in the fall. Lolua Tauanu’u is heading to Cambridge, Mass., to play NCAA DI ball at Harvard University, and Elisapeta Luga crosses the state border to join Grand Canyon University in Arizona.

“So this is our last hurrah together,” Lolesio-Pua said.

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Belmont Shore made the most of its final runout as this particular squad. Both finalists were fast, creative and aggressive, but the Lady Whales did a better job of getting over the ball as well as transitioning to attack after a turnover. On multiple occasions, flyhalf Pua would scramble to secure a loose ball and find Lolesio-Pua bursting through the line at pace for a try or line-breaking setup. That’s the type of connection that evolves after many years playing together.

All told it was a convincing showing, and Belmont Shore won the High School Club 15s National Championship 41-10 against the Majestics.

And then the middle school final rolled onto the pitch, and the depth of Belmont Shore’s program truly came to light. The same can be said for United and the Majestics, which put out truly talented U14 teams within the seven-team field at nationals.

“Yes, there’s going to be a shift [in leadership] next year but I’m really confident about our girls that are coming up from middle school,” Lolesio-Pua said of the rich experience in the Belmont Shore ranks. “Our juniors will play a big part in our leadership next year, but there’s also leadership in the middle school.”

In a lead-changing thriller, Belmont Shore beat United 26-17 for the middle school trophy. Pahulu called out Scarlett Ibarra and Lyric Lesui as standouts, but praised the poise and grit of the whole squad.

“The middle schoolers look at the high school, and it’s something they actually look forward to. They know what to expect at the next level,” Pahulu talked impact of the joint middle school and high school championship. “But it’s also something for the high school girls to look back at. ‘Wow, we were there. And we’ve done all this.’ And now they get to share it with the little ones. It’s something they’ll remember forever.”

“They’re very passionate and very confident,” Lolesio-Pua praised the middle schoolers. “When Sydney Rae and I were 11, we were already playing with the 18s, and that’s the type of pedestal we want our younger girls to have. That way they’re ready and have that mentality to go up against bigger and older players.”

More recently, Belmont Shore has seen its alums on the international stage, with Sariah Ibarra setting the standard at the 2025 Rugby World Cup and then as a contracted USA 7s Eagle. Class of 2025 graduate Nalu Liufau then signed with the USA 7s program straight out of high school and is already capped on the HSBC SVNS Series. And considering the performances in Salt Lake City last week, there is every reason to expect more Belmont Shore representation at the next level.

In other results, United ended its championship weekend with a 38-15 win against SacAir Amazons for 3rd place in Tier 1. In Tier 2, the San Mateo Wolverines faced fellow Rugby NorCal Sacramento Harlequins, which was promoted into the title match after Westlake Drua withdrew from the competition. The Wolverines prevailed 34-17 to repeat as Tier 2 champs.

 

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