This year’s Marquette club rugby team is unique.
Their robust senior class – who have been playing since they were first-years – are leading the charge in the post-season.
For club president Dominic Bartolone and vice president Joey Yurek, both in the College of Business Administration, it is a sign that the team can make some noise in the playoffs this year.
“The accumulation of a really deep senior class and some younger talent that we’ve received gives us an opportunity to show what we got,” Yurek said.
Coming off a loss in the first round of the playoffs to the University of Chicago last year, they are ready to make an improvement and dive deeper into the playoffs.
The power of friendship has also given the team optimism to improve on last seasons results.
“We’ve become great friends which has led to becoming even better rugby players,” Yurek said.
Yurek has been on the team for all four years of his college career, encouraged by his friends who wanted to try the sport.
“Met some of my best friends for life on the team,” Yurek said. “Going out [and] battling with them every single game and practice is a great feeling.”
Despite the lack of rugby in the U.S., Bartolone was lucky enough to have a team at Whitefish Bay High School, where he got introduced to the sport and fell in love with it. As club president, Bartolone schedules practices, games, referees and trainers over the summer.
“I love the non-stop action,” Bartolone said.
The team is part of the Great Midwest Conference along with 14 other teams. The week of Oct, 20 the team will find out who they play in the playoffs. No matter who it is, Yurek and Bartolone love the opportunity to play.
“Whatever draw we get we’ll be excited for,” Yurek said.
Despite optimism this season, young rugby stars are hard to come by.
“It’s hard to pull guys that have played in the past that know immediately what they’re doing,” Bartolone said. “We get a lot that are good athletes, and they have to learn the game.”
The spectators’ experience also reinforces their performance. The team usually plays at Gun Club Rugby Field.
“It’s awesome having friends and fans come out to support and cheer for us,” Bartolone said.
Logan Lawrence, a first-year in the College of Communication, is playing rugby for the first time but has improved thanks to the upperclassmen.
“It’s just a great group of people. The older guys never get annoyed that we [younger players] are clueless at times,” Lawrence said. “You don’t have to see the field have a blast and feel connected.”
They sat at 2-1 before their last game on Oct, 11 facing off against the sixth ranked team in the nation, Northern Iowa on Sep, 26. The wins came against UW-Whitewater 24-17 and Illinois State 55-5. On Saturday Oct, 11 the team notched a 62-17 victory over fellow crosstown foe UW-Milwaukee as family and friends packed onto the field in lawn chairs and blankets to support.
Finishing the season with a 3-1 record means they will be in the playoffs and seeded based on regular season performance. Teams need to win four games in the playoffs to reach the conference championship.
If they win, it’s onto nationals, which the club thinks is in reach.
“We have a great shot” Bartolone said.
This story was written by Ben Ward. He can be reached at Benjamin.ward@marquette.edu.