The Ohio University men's club rugby team had only lost three home games in the past five years, and wasn't about to make it four last Saturday.
The Bobcats controlled all facets of their game against Kent State, and the result was a convincing 36-5 victory. They improved their season record to 2-2 with the win.
It was a full team effort
with the backs and forwards working well in combination team captain Keith Dillom said. We knew we were better than them we just had to play smart and eliminate the little mental errors.
The Golden Flashes delivered Ohio a rare home defeat in a game last year, and that weighed heavily on the Bobcats' minds.
It was definitely a revenge game for us
junior lock Mike Ziegler said. But at the same time it didn't really matter who were playing
it just felt good to get the W.
Founded in 1972, the men's rugby club competes in the Ohio Rugby Union, a Division II conference comprised of teams from Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia. If they win the ORU, the Bobcats can advance to the Midwestern regionals and potentially qualify for the Division II national tournament.
The club has been given green (highest) status within the Ohio University tier system, set up this year to steer funding toward active and competitive clubs and away from inactive ones. While this means the rugby club receives the most funding, it also requires the highest participation standards and means each member must complete 20 hours of community service.
As well as receiving funding from the club sports administrative budget, the rugby club does numerous fundraisers throughout the year to meet its budget, Zeigler said. The club currently has 45 active players, making it the third-most members of any Ohio club team, according to the club sports staff office.
Club president Gus Haas attributes the club's high membership to the freshness factor a sport like rugby holds for incoming students.
When athletes don't have the opportunity to pursue a sport after high school, they look for something new like rugby to play at college, Haas said.
We have guys from all kinds of different backgrounds
Haas said. Football
soccer
track
wrestling
basketball
all of them. It's really a sport for everybody.
Ziegler credits the team's impressive performances at home to travel conditions. The players have to provide their own transportation because rugby has club status.
On the road we have to get up early and drive long distances
