Learn more about the Boston Banshees’ prop.
Lauryn Carlton is an American rugby union player who has competed in the emerging professional women’s game in the United States, most notably in Women’s Elite Rugby (WER).
Carlton, a North Carolina native, primarily plays at prop and came into rugby through a multi-sport background. Before focusing on rugby, she was an accomplished collegiate track and field athlete at Elon University, where she set a school record in the weight throw and won a Colonial Athletic Association indoor title. She also played other sports growing up, including soccer and basketball, which helped build the athletic base that later translated to rugby.
Her rugby pathway included time in club and regional competition on the U.S. West Coast, playing with teams such as the Portland Pigs and appearing in national-level sevens tournaments with programs like the Oregon Sharks and the Pac Coast Grizzlies U23 side. These experiences helped her transition from developmental rugby into the higher-performance environment of professional club competition.
In 2025, Carlton signed with the Boston Banshees in Women’s Elite Rugby, joining the team partway through the league’s inaugural season. She made her WER debut during the 2025 campaign and quickly established herself as a starter in the midfield. In her first season, she scored a try and started all of her appearances, contributing both defensively and in open play as the Banshees built their squad in the new professional league structure. She returned to the team for the following season in 2026, continuing her development at the top domestic level in the U.S.
Carlton’s career reflects a broader trend in American women’s rugby: athletes transitioning from other sports into rugby and progressing through collegiate, club and regional pathways into the professional ranks. Her combination of speed, physicality and track-and-field power has been a key part of her playing profile as she continues to develop in the center position for Boston.