The men’s club rugby team completed its spring season in May, holding an alumni game that featured both current and past players.
After winning the Division II state championship in Fall 2010 and being ranked top 15 in the nation, the rugby squad was elevated to Division I status for spring, competing against some of the best club competition in the country.
The rugby team started out the spring with a bang, beating the University of Kentucky in Savannah, Ga. Senior Justin Cerne even called the last-second victory the “highlight of the spring season.”
Junior Jayson Deickman agreed.
“Beating the University of Kentucky in the first game of the season was awesome and a huge boost for our team,” he said.
After starting the season strong, the team was unable to beat quality teams at home, including Syracuse and the University of Wisconsin, both top 15, and UB, ranked in the top 5.
Despite the lack of quality wins, Deickman said he thinks the team gained a lot of experience in their first D-1 semester.
“I feel like this semester was very successful,” he said. “We have a very good young team and gained a lot of experience playing together against very good opponents in big tournaments.”
The team finished the season with a win in a friendly match against Canisius. The win, combined with the experience of having a few D-I matches under their belts, has some players excited for the fall.
“The trip to Georgia was a huge stepping stone,” Cerne said. “Looking ahead, we have a young team that now knows what they will be facing in a Division I atmosphere. There are definitely some winnable games on the board.”
Jake Becker can be reached by email at becker.record@live.com.