Ray Santiago – Major League Rugby first round draft pick

Ray Santiago (RPI ’25) is a Civil Engineering major at the academically demanding Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute who surprised a lot of people by making a name for himself in athletics. He was recently selected in the first round of Major League Rugby draft by Old Glory D.C..

Ray was shocked too, saying, “originally I came to school to focus on my education, but I felt I was missing something.” He was introduced to rugby his freshman year. As a wrestler and soccer player for eight years, he found that he had both the finesse and physicality that rugby required, and he excelled.

He never met a scrum he didn’t like

Rugby is gaining popularity in the US, but isn’t a sport that has youth leagues. When Ray was Invited to try out for the team by a classmate in college, he took a chance. Ray said, “I was trying hard to get better, learn more about the sport and understand it.”

He said, “Sports generally came naturally to me, but rugby was challenging to learn. I just decided, ‘I am going to get this done.’” At 6’ 5” and 260 pounds he had the power and speed to become a versatile member of the RPI team, playing multiple positions.

Ray honed his skills and also became a leader on the Atlantic Coast All-Stars who played high-level college athletes from New Zealand Universities, University of Cape Town, and Sydney University.

In 2024, Ray and a group of his Pilam teammates, lead their RPI rugby team to the conference championship game and made their way to the Sweet 16.

Pilam, rugby and mutual support

It’s no coincidence that Pilam has about ten players on the RPI rugby team, and Ray was introduced to Pilam by a teammate. He said of the brotherhood, “I never felt out of place. The brothers were all around great guys.”

Ray said, “I struggled my first years in college due to problems with auditory processing. My brothers were a great support group. Being around guys who are so driven really helped me succeed.”

What’s next?

Ray plans to finish his degree in the spring before reporting to his new team. He said, “my desire is to play at a high performance level and still be in a position to have my career.

When I started at RPI I didn’t think I’d have that kind of decision to make but I love the sport and love what I am doing.”