Chloe Hill-Huse '20, a former SMUS student and current SMUS rugby coach, is among 36 players taking part in a five-day USA Women’s Rugby talent identification and commencement camp this week in Chula Vista, Calif.
According to the USA Rugby website, the camp “has kicked off the new Rugby World Cup cycle with recently appointed Head Coach Jack Hanratty and staff assembling 36 of the top USA-based players.”
Hill-Huse has actually been based in Victoria, where she has coached at SMUS and played for the Castaway Wanderers club. She is also a veteran of University of Victoria Vikes women’s rugby and has completed all required coursework for her Bachelor of Arts in Recreation and Health Education and will graduate from UVic this spring.
Hill-Huse was invited to the camp based on evaluation of her U SPORTS performance by Hanratty, who is a former Canadian national team and University of Ottawa coach. She is eligible for this week’s camp and USA Rugby because she was born in the U.S., her father is American, and she has dual citizenship. The camp runs until Feb. 1.
As a dual citizen, Hill-Huse has represented Canada previously at the youth level. In 2019, while a student at SMUS, she played for Canada’s national U18 team in its victory over the U.S. in Chula Vista. In 2023, she was selected for Canada’s national U23 team tour to Boston but chose to remain in New Zealand to play for a provincial team instead.
Hill-Huse, who plays the hooker or No. 2 position, will remain connected to the SMUS Rugby program and plans to resume coaching at the school after she returns from Australia.
The USA Rugby site says this week’s camp “will set the tone establishing standards and player pathways for the upcoming season and beyond to the 2029 and 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup cycles . . . With a large portion of the USA Women’s Eagles playing overseas, this camp will focus on domestic talent and identifying new potential.”
