PSU Rugby Update
On Saturday, April 28th, Penn State Men’s Rugby fell 69-14 to the Life University Running Eagles in a tough match for the Lions. It was certainly not the result we were looking for, but the team played well in a match in which the bounce of the ball never seemed to go their way. Life’s defensive pressure coupled with several unforced errors put the Lions in a hole early in the match, which proved too difficult to dig out of against a team of Life’s caliber. At times, the Lions were able to put together an attack and came away with two well-earned tries, but unfortunately that was it for the day (Try Scorers: Jean & McNulty, Conversions: Ronan: 2 of 2).
Despite a tough loss in the semi-final, the Men feel that they had a successful season. While the ultimate goal is to win a National Title, the team certainly learned a lot along the way. This season included a historic win over BYU in the quarter-final match and an undefeated run in the Rugby East Conference in the fall. There were many positive moments that the team hopes to build off of in the future.
The Penn State Women’s Rugby season is still in full swing. Be sure to catch them in action this weekend as they seek revenge against Life in the semi-final on Friday, May 4th at Cal State Fullerton. The match will be broadcast at 6:00 pm EST on The Rugby Channel (www.therugbychannel.tv). The broadcast requires a subscription. The National Championship will follow on May 5th.
As the Men’s and Women’s 15s season comes to a close, the teams will shift their focus to 7s. In preparation for the Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship in Philadelphia on June 1st - 3rd, the Men will travel to Army on May 5th and then to Delaware on May 19th to play in tournaments. The Women qualified for the USA Rugby 7s National Championship, which is being held May 19th - 20th in Glendale, Colorado, by winning the B1G (Big 10) tournament in April. To prepare, the Women are hosting a 7s tournament in State College the weekend of May 12th - 13th. These tournaments give the teams the preparation they need to achieve the goal of bringing home two trophies from the nationally televised CRC event.
While that covers the on-field efforts, we know that you also are eagerly awaiting an update about the flash fundraiser. Your patience and your generosity over the past 2 weeks is much appreciated.
This fundraiser began without much discussion or planning but with plenty of passion. An Alumnus wanted to make sure the teams could focus on their performance rather than funding during their playoff runs. Charging ahead, he sponsored the flights for the undergraduate players who currently play his position and asked everyone else to do the same for the flights and hotels of the rest of players on both teams. And as PSU Ruggers always do when a teammate breaks the line, many shouted “with you!” and came in support.
After just one week of a few individuals spreading the word and personally reaching out to teammates and the PSU Rugby family, over $45,000 was raised by 170 individual sponsors. To give you an idea of how incredible that is, in all of 2017 only 60 individuals donated online for a sum of less than $20,000. The cost for both teams to travel to their respective locations to participate in the 15s National Playoffs is over $70,000. The teams also incur additional costs associated with playing 7s. The 7s season, including participation in the CRC, will cost the program around $1,071 per player or approximately $30,000.
It has been exciting to see so many members of the PSU Rugby family engage in this campaign on the Facebook page - sharing memories, pictures and inside jokes. With our own Alumni, Justin and Kate, heading the teams, this is a very special time for Penn State Rugby. While the amount of money raised in just one week is impressive, the ultimate fundraising goal has not been achieved. During this campaign, about 15% of the people in the database stepped up to sponsor the teams. We now challenge the remaining 85% to get in on the fun. Let’s make our participation in this effort the highest it has ever been for a single campaign. More details about the efforts to ensure the future of Penn State Rugby will be released soon.
We hope to see as many of you as possible on the sidelines over the remaining weeks of the 2018 season and at the Penn State Rugby Family and Friends Reunion Weekend in August.
We are!!
How to donate
Paypal: to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (mark as family/friend)
Venmo: to @PSURugbyAlumni - make sure to comment below on what position you're donating for!
Website: Donate at psurugby.org
Check can be mailed to:
PSU Rugby
PO Box 967
State College, PA 16804
Please email Kristen at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to make sure your donation is counted towards our total!
