By Grace Malec, Sports Editor
AQ Fights to win a match against GVSU – Photo by Steve Zomberg
With the Rugby “15’s” season in full swing, the Aquinas Men’s Rugby team has faced ups and downs. Learning how to adapt and play with a new group of predominantly underclassmen, the team currently holds a record of 2-1, with the match scheduled for Oct. 4 ultimately ending up cancelled.
The team started their season on Sept. 13, playing the University of Michigan at home. They took the match, winning 27-13. After starting the season on a high note, the next weekend brought an even harder game for the Saints. The Saints played the Davenport University Panthers on Sept. 20 and after a hard fought battle, they fell to the Panthers 12-61.
The Homecoming weekend loss did not keep the team down. On Sept. 27, the team bounced back during their match against Grand Valley State University, winning 50-3.
With the ups also comes the downs. The team is navigating losing senior team members due to injury. “We have faced some adversity early on, with key senior teammates out due to injuries [Zach, Tommy and Archie] they really were our backbone of the team,” Graduate Student Nathan Shaffer said. “We have had to overcome the loss of them and play players in spots that are foreign to them. It’s given our younger players opportunities to step up and display their skills.”
Even after a tough start with adversity, the team still is looking up and looking forward to continuing their season this fall. With matches against Iowa Central and Drury on Oct. 11 and Oct. 18, the team is looking to maintain their momentum that they have been working hard on gaining.
“Building back our confidence has been our focus and we are finally starting to connect as a team,” Junior Gavin Thompson said. “We have a big freshman class this year, including a lot that have stepped up as starters. We have definitely learned a lot from our past three games finishing strong in the first and third game, while experiencing a humble game.”
Aquinas Men’s Rugby 2025-2026 Freshman Class – Photo by Grace Malec
With five more matches on the schedule for the fall season, the team remains excited for what is to come. “Right now as a team I believe the boys are excited to get after it including our seniors who want to give it their last runs and also our freshmen who are here to prove that they deserve to play,” Junior Riley Lovenberg said. “ I am really excited to see where this team goes in the future.”
The team plays at home on Oct. 18 as they play Drury before heading into the Big Rivers Rugby Conference Tournament to wrap up their season.
2025-2026 Men’s Rugby Senior Class – Photo by Grace Malec
The Saint 