By Grace Gross, Head Culture Editor
Photos taken by Grace Gross
I had the opportunity to travel to Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri for the Lindenwood Sevens Tournament on Saturday, April 2. I rode with a friend and classmate, Breanna Sampo, along with team members Emmanuel Segbedzi and Takeru Yamada.
The first match we played was against Marian University at 9:40 a.m. The second match was against Principia College at 11 a.m. The third game was played against the University of Colorado at 11:40 a.m.
The scores for the matches are as follows:
Marion vs. McKendree, 27-14
Principia College, 24-12
University of Colorado, 21-14
Even though we didn’t win any matches, McKendree Rugby accomplished many things.
This is the first time our McKendree Rugby team has competed in the Lindenwood Sevens tournament. There were a total of four other teams that competed on Saturday. The winners of the tournament qualify for nationals in Atlanta, Georgia.
Not all of the students on the team have been playing for many years like some. Senior Jonas Larsson played his first-ever game on Saturday. Jonas plays soccer as his main sport at McKendree – however, he was recruited to play rugby just recently. During their last game, Jonas scored a Tri for McKendree, which is five points.
Another student, Devin Acoff, is mainly at McKendree for our Track and Field team. As of now, Devon has been playing rugby for McKendree for three weeks.
Not only are some of the players brand new to McKendree Rugby, but so is their coach. Cameron Wyper is the new rugby coach at McKendree, boasting many, many years of experience with rugby.
On the ride back from Lindenwood University, Emmanuel and Takeru told us about why they enjoy rugby. Emmanuel explains,“You get to meet different people and travel a lot. Traveling is something I really like about it.”
Takeru has been playing rugby for seven years now. He was inspired to play by a student on the rugby team while in high school.
The men’s rugby team may be small, but they’re a mighty bunch. Every single person on this team has been working so hard. These boys played a great season. I can’t wait to see them in play next season!
