Rowe Stodolnic ’27 has played rugby for most of his life, taking to the sport at age nine. But when he decided to pursue rugby at Brown, he knew his journey to campus would not look the same as that of a varsity athlete.
Unlike at some other schools, men’s rugby is a club, not varsity, sport at Brown. While the University’s club teams do not receive the formally reserved recruiting spots allotted to varsity sports, coaches have still developed informal recruiting strategies to help prospective players with the admissions process.
David Laflamme, the men’s rugby head coach, has been at Brown for 28 years. Although Laflamme used to host a camp for prospective players at Brown, he finds it easier to recruit by traveling — even going as far as the United Kingdom to scout players from target schools.
Laflamme doesn’t aim to recruit a set number of players each year. “I have 234 kids that have reached out to me” thus far for the class of 2030, which is set to arrive on campus next fall, he told The Herald.
Laflamme will then request materials from prospective students — including transcripts and a school profile — to determine whether they are academically qualified. “I’m probably one of the only coaches that talks guys out of applying,” he said. “I’m trying to set them up for success.”
Of the students that reach out to him, Laflamme only talks to the Admissions Office about those who are at the very top of his list, he said. These students are already academically qualified, but he puts their names forward to emphasize the impact they would have on his team as a player.
When Arthur Gaskin, the head coach of the men’s and women’s club squash teams, came to Brown in 2021, Laflamme helped him learn the ropes of recruiting, Gaskin recalled.
Like Laflamme, Gaskin only requests that the Admissions Office conduct academic pre-reads — during which the office assesses whether a student is academically qualified for Brown — for a “handful” of athletes every year, he said.
For Gaskin, outreach is a key component of the recruitment process. “I’ll travel to a few events or run a few workshops (in) different parts of the Eastern Seaboard,” he said. He wants prospective athletes to “know that Brown squash is still a thing” since the team was demoted from varsity status in 2020.
When working with prospective players, Gaskin’s “basic philosophy through this whole process is to under-promise and over-deliver,” he said. “I can’t guarantee anything.”
University Spokesperson Brian Clark reaffirmed the coaches’ comments in a statement to The Herald. “The Office of College Admission works with campus partners — including varsity and club coaches in athletics, and faculty and staff across a range of departments — as it reviews and admits talented applicants,” he wrote.
All applicants are expected to have strong academic credentials and demonstrate ways they will positively contribute to the campus community, Clark added.
Bella Bin ’28 was informally recruited for the women’s club squash team after she reached out to Gaskin during her junior year of high school.
When Bin emailed Gaskin, the squash team was in the midst of their first season as a club sport. But Bin was initially set on playing for a NCAA Division I or Division III team. After connecting with several coaches and participating in a few official visits, the other schools she was considering ended up not having enough recruiting spots. At one other school, Bin was told she could join as a walk-on if she was admitted, and the coach offered to write her a letter of recommendation.
Brown appealed to Bin because its club team has several features usually associated with varsity teams, she said. Brown’s club squash plays against varsity schools, lifts in the varsity gym, travels frequently and has intense training. “I basically get all the aspects of a varsity team, and the only difference is just the name,” she said.
Gaskin told Bin she passed her academic pre-read and said he’d support her whether she applied during the early or regular decision round, Bin recalled. Gaskin also wrote her a letter of recommendation.
A few days before admissions decisions come out, Gaskin is notified which of his players were admitted, he said.
Diya Bhattacharjee was also admitted to Brown after being recruited for club squash, but she ultimately decided to attend Stanford instead.
When Bhattacharjee reached out to Gaskin, she didn’t “expect there to be any club recruiting process,” she recalled. She provided Gaskin with information for an academic pre-read, sent videos of her playing and shared her squash rankings. Then, Gaskin wrote her a letter of support for her application, she said.
Gaskin didn’t characterize himself as “having that much pull in the admissions process,” Bhattacharjee said.
Gaskin was understanding when Bhattacharjee chose not to attend Brown, she recalled. “He’s very respectful of his players’ interests outside of squash,” she said. When she chose another school, “he was very respectful about it and very encouraging.”
Despite the fact that coaches can’t guarantee spots in the first-year class for recruits, being recruited allows players to form connections with the Brown community early on in their college search process, Stodolnic said.
As a recruiting chair for the men’s rugby team, Stodolnic often meets with prospective players, gives them tours of campus on the weekends and takes them to social events with the team so they can get a taste of Brown rugby.
Although anyone can sign up for rugby at Brown, those who are recruited are invited to preseason, where they practice two to three times every day for two weeks, Stodolnic said.
By the time classes started during his first year, Stodolnic felt as if he had leg up because of the time he spent meeting his teammates and setting his routine.
Teddy Fisher is a senior staff writer who studies International and Public Affairs and is passionate about law, national security and sports. He enjoys playing basketball, running and reading in his free time.
Ciara Meyer is a section editor from Saratoga Springs, New York. She plans on concentrating in Statistics and English Nonfiction. In her free time, she loves scrapbooking and building lego flowers.
