Garrett Collins
This fall season has seen teams taking the field once again, and has added excitement to campus and it’s safe to say that Plattsburgh Sports are back.
For the men’s and women’s rugby team, they look to return to the pitch and create a new winning culture for both teams. The men’s team played a scrimmage versus Paul Smith’s College and is traveling to Middlebury on Saturday. The team that last made the playoffs in 2017 and made it all the way to the state semifinals where they lost a heartbreaker on the last play of the game. They haven’t made it back since. Since then the team has seen so many players come and go it almost seemed like that playoff run was a distant memory.
One remaining player from that team, Marc Domery, or as his teammates call him Mac Truck, has become one of the leaders that the younger players have looked to for leadership because of the experience he brings.
“I got here the year after the championship team my freshman year we made it to the state semi finals.” Mac Truck said. “I am very happy to get back on the pitch and get the rugby ball moving again.”
After COVID they lost 25% of their team, Mac Truck said that recruiting is important especially during the pandemic
“COVID was a bump in life everyone had to figure out but our rugby team took a big hit on recruiting so it’s good to get new people on the pitch,”
Mac Truck also wants the tradition of the sport to continue being a brotherhood and a good friend group for freshmen.
“Rugby is a game of tradition and it’s important to always get new players into the culture,” he said.
The women’s team on the other hand, may not have the resume of the men’s team, but under new leadership they are really looking forward to creating a new story for a team looking to compete at the next level. They have recruited really well this past semester and their numbers rival that of the men’s team, which historically has been the opposite story. For president of the club, Shannon Tracy, they know that with all these new players on the team this year is all about building a good roster.
“This year is definitely a building year,” with all the new players that have decided to join us. “We have a lot of hope for the future; Tracy said.
Since starting back up they have been looking for teams that are willing to play and give these new girls some much needed rugby action.
“Scheduling has been difficult because of covid restrictions, but we’re making the best of it.” Tracy said, “We currently have games scheduled for Oct. 16 and the 23, so exposing our new players to a real match is very exciting for us.”
The women’s rugby team is confident that the Covid layover made the team better than ever.
“Despite the fact that Covid was ridding us of numbers I feel since we’ve been back we’re stronger than ever. This is [our] comeback season” Tracy Said
With renewed team energy and a return to regular games around the corner, both the men’s and the women’s team are looking to reestablish their dominance in the North Country.
