Tim Stanfill, rugby standout and 2012 graduate of Central, has continued his athletic career with the Seattle Saracens and on the 50-man roster for the United States national rugby team.

Before attending Central, Stanfill was a football player in high school. Then one of his friends coaxed him into going to watch a rugby game.

“One of my buddies was the captain for the Vancouver club team and he was trying to get me out [there] for about a year,” Stanfill said.

When Stanfill finally went out to watch one of the games, the Vancouver team was short a few players That allowed Stanfill to experience rugby for the first time. Stanfill started out as a Wing and has played that position ever since.

“You are basically the finisher, you have a one on one opportunity to score,” said Stanfill.

Stanfill originally came to Central because of the annual football camp for high schoolers. He ended up enjoying the small-town feel that Ellensburg provided.

“Honestly, I didn’t even know they had a rugby team. I was actually gonna try and walk on for football,” said Stanfill.

Tim ultimately decided not to play football in order to focus on his academic career, but his mind was quickly changed.

“I was sitting in my very first college class and wearing my New Zealand Rugby sweatshirt when I was approached by one of the coaches,” said Stanfill.

Dustin Webber, previous graduate assistant of the rugby team, got Stanfill out to his first collegiate rugby practice. When Stanfill first started, Central’s rugby team didn’t have a winning background as a club team. The student athletes mainly played for fun.

“They were more about the partying aspect than the actual game of rugby,” Stanfill said.

Head coach Tony Pacheco started to turn things around when he began bringing in recruits from around the country to help the team compete nationally. After a few seasons under Pacheco, the team started to turn the corner.

During Stanfill’s junior year, the team had the opportunity to compete in the College Rugby Championships (CRC).

In prior years, the CRC was invite only, but during Stanfill’s junior year the committee changed the rules. Teams could compete in regional tournaments without an invite to play for an open spot in the CRC.

Central ended up winning the entire tournament and qualified. The team surprised themselves with their success.

“We ended up having a great showing finishing third overall,” Stanfill said.

During Tim’s senior season, the Wildcats took second in the national championship.

“That was probably one of the biggest highlights of my career, but also one of the biggest downfalls,” Stanfill said.

Central lost the seven’s national title game in extra time. Ever since the loss, Central has been ranked in the top five every year for sevens’ play. Stanfill was named an All-American four times during his career as a Wildcat, but still takes a humble approach.

“It doesn’t feel any different, you have more of a responsibility, you take on the leadership role whether you are ready for it or not,” Stanfill said.

After finishing his college career, Stanfill tried out for the Seattle Saracens where he is currently playing. After playing with the Saracens for a few seasons, he tried out for the national team, making the 53-man roster. Despite not making the 30-man traveling squad for this year’s Rugby World Cup, Stanfill was still able to go on tour last November prior to the Rugby World Cup.

Since making the team, Stanfill has traveled all around the world, including Uruguay, England, France and Germany.

“The last tour in November [2014] was [my] first time being out of the states, aside from Canada,” said Stanfill.

During the first tour, Stanfill had the opportunity to travel to Romania, the United Kingdom and France, where he played against Tonga and Fiji. Even though the U.S. is still well behind teams like Tonga, Fiji, New Zealand and Australia, the U.S. team continues to improve.  

“We are competing. We are getting a lot better. We’re making steps in the right direction,” Stanfill said.

Last month the U.S. team beat Japan for the first time in 13 years.

Last November, Stanfill had another incredible opportunity to play against New Zealand in Chicago. Soldier Field sold out and Tim got to play against the biggest names in rugby, like Dan Carter and Richie McCaw.

“I only got on the field for a minute or two, but just the atmosphere, the build up, and everything that surrounded that week of preparation was incredible,” Stanfill said.

Not only was this a great experience for Stanfill, but the team got a good feel for what it’s like to be a professional athlete. Since rugby is payed for by the players, Stanfill does not receive any kind of compensation.

“I’m a personal trainer, that’s my day job. Rugby is my hobby,” Stanfill says.

Stanfill is a personal trainer for the PRO Sports Club in Bellevue, Wash.

Stanfill enjoys his job because he can use his motivation and hard work ethic to help others achieve their goals.