By Tim Clinton
Seattle's Seawolves wasted no time rising to the top of the Major League Rugby world.
They won the league championship in it and their first year of play in 2018 and followed that up by capturing the title again in 2019.
The team that calls Starfire Stadium in Tukwila home returned to the championship in 2022 and 2024, taking a loss both times to come in second.
Whether or not Seattle makes a return trip after the current 2025 season remains to be seen.
After going 6-2 during the inaugural regular season in 2018 the Seawolves won their semifinal over the Glendale Raptors, 23-19, before bagging their first title with a 38-24 win over the San Diego Legion team in action held at Starfire.
More teams and more games were added to the regular season in 2019 with Seattle going 11-4-1.
This time the Seawolves met the Toronto Arrows in the semifinals and posted a 30-17 victory and played the San Diego Legion again in the final, winning the battle played in San Diego, 26-23.
Seattle struggled to a 1-4 start in 2020 before the entire season was stopped by the COVID pandemic and it went 4-12 in 2021 to miss the playoffs for the first time.
But 2022 was a different story.
After going 9-7 during the regular season to qualify again the Seawolves beat San Diego, 43-19, in a West Eliminator played at home and downed the Houston Sabercats, 46-27, on the road in the West Conference Finals to reach the championship.
Seattle met Rugby United of New York on the road and absorbed a 30-15 defeat.
The Seawolves posted a better regular season record of 12-4 in 2023 and beat Houston in its first West Conference playoff, 37-26, but lost to San Diego, 40-19, in the West Conference Final.
Seattle went 11-5 during the 2024 regular season but had better postseason results.
After opening with a narrow 30-28 victory over San Diego at Starfire it won again on the same field against the Dallas Jackals, 28-25, in the West Conference Final.
Next up for the Seawolves was the New England Free Jacks in a championship clash on the road.
Seattle lost that one, 20-11.