The 13th win for the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø men’s this season proved huge as it propelled the team into the national championships to be held this spring.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø competed in the national qualifying tournament this past weekend at Vassar College. The team beat Marist 30-12 on Saturday and then defeated Fairfield University 45-20 on Sunday (Nov. 13th) to win the Northeast Rugby Union Division 2 championship.
The victories polished off an undefeated season for the club, which went 13-0. (Yet another reference!)
The team had dedicated its season to teammate , who died Aug. 22 after a lengthy battle with cancer.
The team had finished league play 7-0 (8-0 overall) with victories over Cornell University in the Claret Mug match, and league wins over Siena College, Oswego State, RPI, Plattsburgh State, Hamilton College, Union College, and LeMoyne.
On the women’s side, the team finished league play at 2-3 with victories coming against longtime rivals Union College and Siena College.
Both clubs are planning to take the first-ever combined 51³Ô¹ÏÍø rugby tour next spring. The tour, to Edinburgh and London is expected to include three games for each team. Coach Tim Burdick (tburdick@colgate.edu) has details about fund-raising for the trip.