Senior fly-half Elena Strom has been selected as one of Cal Poly’s most influential women by the Cal Poly Women in Business Association.
The honor recognizes women in the Cal Poly community who “are influencing and inspiring other women and are going above and beyond their job descriptions to change the world,” according to an association email release.
Cal Poly’s Women in Business student-run publication, The Wire, highlights inspiring Cal Poly women under the age of 30 who come from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines through their annual feature series “30 Under 30: Cal Poly’s Most Influential Women.” The series, with a profile on each of the nominees, is set to be released later this month.
“I’m super excited that I was even considered,” Elena Strom said. “I don’t know who nominated me, but either way it’s awesome to be thought of as an influential person at Cal Poly because I know there’s so many other influential women.”
The senior team captain and former club president led the offense for a Mustangs squad that bulldozed their way to a sparkling 11-0 record, outscoring each opponent by nearly 50 points. Two of those victories were over Division I opponents: a 24-point victory over Stanford and a 22-point victory over Fresno State.
Strom averaged over a try a game and did the majority of the kicking duties for the team following an injury to senior Sidney Swney.
“If I was nominated by a rugby teammate for my leadership within rugby, I think my whole team should be nominated right there alongside me,” Strom added. “They’re all so influential to me and to each other, but also to women on campus because not many women think they can do things such as rugby. I think seeing other women be strong and confident really inspires others to know that they could do the same.”
The Mustangs were well on their way to a deep playoff run — and a potential DII national championship — until the season was cut short due to COVID-19.
This is the second consecutive year that a Mustang has been nominated. Last year, junior fullback Charlotte Henry was selected.