Claremont Secondary School’s grip on B.C. girls rugby sevens shows no signs of loosening.
The Saanich program captured its third provincial title on May 29 at the 2026 B.C. Girls Rugby Sevens Championships in Abbotsford, which ran from May 28 to 29.
Claremont blanked Langley Secondary School 37-0 in the gold medal game.
Since the tournament launched in 2022, Claremont has reached the podium every year, collecting three gold medals, one silver and one bronze.
Across the tournament, Claremont outscored opponents 213-27 and recorded three shutouts.
“They honestly have a pretty wicked defensive record to go with a pretty lethal attack,” said coach and program coordinator Matt Belvedere.
The final was settled early. Claremont struck in the opening minute and never looked back.
“The girls played their game style and dictated how the game was going to look from the very start,” Belvedere said. “We scored within the first minute and then went from there. They really dictated play.”
In the group stage, Claremont won all three games by a combined score of 132-12.
The knockout rounds began with a 24-0 quarterfinal win over Victoria High School.
Claremont then edged Greater Victoria rival Belmont Secondary School 20-15 in an overtime semifinal, avenging an earlier Island Championship final loss.
“That gave our girls an extra mission going into provincials,” Belvedere said. “When it happened originally, it hurt, but in hindsight, I think it really helped us find our footing in adversity.”
“Beating them in overtime in the semifinal felt like such a huge victory. It really catapulted us into that final game.”
Belmont went on to claim bronze with a 33-5 win over Salmon Arm, while Vic High finished fifth. All three Greater Victoria qualifiers finished inside the top five of the 16-team field.
“Big competition breeds success amongst those teams,” Belvedere said, highlighting the sport in the region.
He credited much of Claremont’s consistency to culture, pointing to coaches Mark O’Regan and Eric Slade, whom he called a rugby guru.
“We get a lot of feedback that the culture on our team feels different than a lot of the other teams,” Belvedere said.
“It is really built on friendship, sisterhood and unity. They support each other and move on to the next play. There is no bickering or frustration.”
Coming off a bronze medal last year, the team adopted a simple motto: Earn it. The program structure also plays a role.
“Our girls and boys always train same day, same times,” Belvedere said. “We are kind of one big rugby program.”
Grade 12 captains Asia Olynyk and Téa Kolody anchored that approach on the field.
“They have both been such phenomenal leaders this year,” Belvedere said.
“Asia has been playing with the senior team since Grade 9, so she is leaving high school with three gold medals and a bronze, which is pretty unbelievable.”
Belvedere added Kolody graduates with two gold medals and a bronze of her own.
On the boys’ side, Reynolds Secondary School earned bronze with a 19-12 win over Belmont in an all-Greater Victoria third-place match.