This past week the team introduced their new players to the beautiful and equally challenging game of rugby. They were eager to get into the tackling aspect and worked hard to get “tackling certified” by Coach Chapman, just in time for Sunday’s games. The team stepped foot on the pitch with intensity and adrenaline coursing through them and came out strong against Ithaca College in their first 10s match of the day. Captain Ellie Humphreys scored the first try of the game with senior Lauren Dirvonas forcing her way into the try zone for the second. The rookies were open to everything that was being thrown at them whether they were flying in a lineout, making the first tackle of the game, or chasing down a player. Senior Cat Wang had a breakaway down the sideline for a try, as captain Sarah Traenkle and sophomore Ella Cassulo followed up with the final tries of the game, solidifying Colgate’s first win of the day.

The ruggers continued their intensity, coming back out an hour later to play a 15s match against the University of Buffalo. The players used their break to explain the rules to the rookies and saw an immediate improvement when they stepped back on the pitch. They went in for every ruck and grew in their confidence in running with the ball. Senior Jasmine Lopez worked hard for the first try of the game, bodying their way through three defenders to get it and Lauren Dirvonas followed up with her second try of the day. The team did a great job getting the ball out wide and having breakaways down the sidelines. While the rain prevented ‘Gate from playing their last game, it did not get in the way of the beloved BBQ truck to wrap up the day. They enjoyed hearing the rookies' thoughts on the game and how supportive they thought the team and overall game of rugby was.

Colgate is grateful for all the teams that came out this past weekend for what ended up being a great day of rugby. The tournament was full of learning experiences for the rookies and furthered the development of all teams. This week Colgate looks forward to welcoming the new players they recruited at the club fair while also teaching the other rookies how to run phases in a game consisting of scrums, rucks, and our new plays.