The men’s and women’s rugby programs turn 50 and 36 this year. We asked scrum alums and players why they remain so passionate about the sport
NORWICH RECORD | Fall 2020
“Rugby is unique in that you can play it at any level all over the world. Without a team even knowing you, they will take you in if you have a backpack and a pair of boots.”
—SEAN BURGESS ’07
“In rugby and in life, you have to be willing to do it all: carry the ball, support other people, ask for help and support when you need it, be someone to lean on, get comfortable leaning on other people, be lifted up, and lift someone else up.”
—ASHLEY (DE GRASSE) BIAGI ’08
“Norwich rugby is tough, relentless, and has a level of physicality that many teams cannot match.”
—ASHLEY POTVIN-FULFORD ’11, HEAD COACH, UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND WOMEN’S RUGBY
“I routinely called upon my Norwich rugby experiences to navigate tough and complicated situations that I often found myself in while serving in the military.”
—CHRIS HEIN ’13, FORMER CAPTAIN
“Rugby culture teaches players to accept failure and success with humility and grace.”
—ULIYA OMAROV ’08
“Rugby is the only intercollegiate sport on campus whereby any student can walk on—never having played the sport—and compete.”
—BOB WEGGLER, HEAD MEN’S RUGBY COACH
“I don’t think I ever saw a single person quit or give up on the field. I don’t care how exhausted, hurt, or bloodied a Norwich rugger is. They are not stopping, and they will be ‘With You.’”
—SEAN BURGESS ’07, FORMER CAPTAIN
“Rugby at Norwich is what kept me at Norwich. The players when I joined in 2008 were not only open-minded, kind, and boisterous, but welcoming, nonjudgmental, and warm.”
—CHRISTINE AYE ’14
“The alumni believe in the growth of the program, along with the growth of the players.”
—KEEGAN FRICK ’18, FORMER CAPTAIN
“Rugby was the one place I could go to forget about everything else and focus on having fun.”
—HARRY SIMOTWO ’21
Of her former teammates: “They are my best friends, even 10 years later. I treasure them as my sisters.”
—CHRISTINE AYE ’14
“[Rugby] had a great impact on how I looked at the school. I had a ton of brothers that had my back and looked after me on and off the pitch.”
—WILL RAMBLIN ’21, CURRENT CAPTAIN
Scorecard: The men’s team has played in nine national championships since 2004, advancing to the Final Four three times in the last four years. Between 2007 and 2015, the women’s team competed in 11 national championship tournaments (7s and 15s), placing first 6 times.
