Aquinas College

Lance Hohaia joined the Aquinas Athletic Department in the winter of 2021 and serves as the head coach of the AQ men's rugby program. Hohaia was hired as the inaugural head coach of the program. 

After an inaugural spring season in 2022 where the Saints finished with a 4-5 record, AQ completed a full 2022-23 campaign with a 11-12 record and competed in the program's first Collegiate 7s National Championship tournament in Washington, D.C. The Saints went 2-2 on the national stage with wins over Iona and Michigan.

The Saints continued to improve in the 2023-24 season. Aquinas went 10-9 overall and finished in fifth-place in the first Big Rivers Conference Tournament with wins over Rio Grande and Iowa Central CC. AQ then qualified for the Collegiate 7s National Championship tournament once again and made it all the way to the championship game in the Premier Bowl.

Prior to coming to Aquinas, Hohaia had a two-year coaching stint at nearby Davenport. He led the 2018-19 Panthers to an 18-8 record in his first season, which was an eight-win improvement from the previous year. That season, Davenport was ranked as high as eighth in the country. The 2019 7's team qualified for the 7's National Championships and had a strong showing at the national tournament, capturing the bronze medal. 

Hohaia played for the New Zealand national team from 2002 to 2011 and helped the team win the 2008 Rugby League World Cup. He also helped New Zealand win the 2005 Tri Nations championship and capture the 2010 Four Nations championship.

Nicknamed "The Huntly Hurricane" by the media after growing up in the town of Huntly, he played in over 300 matches in his 15-year professional career. Hohaia competed for 11 seasons with the New Zealand Warriors and is one of only six players in club history to spend 10 consecutive seasons with the Warriors. He closed his professional career by playing four years for St. Helens RFC in the United Kingdom and helped the team win the 2014 Super League championship.

Hohaia has an Associate in Applied Management from the Open Polytechnic of New Zealand, a Bachelor's of Business also from the Open Polytechnic of New Zealand, and is working on his Master.s of Management program at Massey University in New Zealand, to be completed in November 2026.

When he is not coaching rugby at Aquinas, Lance enjoys playing golf, mountain biking, traveling (exploring new places and cultures), dining out and trying new foods as a foodie, hiking, going on adventures with his two boys, watching rugby, and working out.