Regional champions head to Houston for nationals

The 2021 fall season has been like none other for the SJU rugby team. They have had one of the most impressive seasons to date, staying undefeated thus far and winning the Regional Championship. They will now advance to the National Collegiate Rugby Championship in Houston, TX.

The St. John’s rugby team had a rough start to the year, losing seniors from the previous year, and only having 12 returning players. They set out to recruit new players, as rugby is a club sport and anyone, regardless of experience, is welcome to join. Senior Zach Smisek said, “We made a commitment to recruitment, and right now we are sitting at 34 players, which is a huge number for our sport!”

At its core, SJU rugby is about brotherhood and a sense of family.

“I met an outstanding group of guys that showed me what a brotherhood was really about, and our coach Tammy Cowan welcomed me with open arms,” senior Wyatt Kokesh said. “We love each other and hold each other up, and the bond we all share is what has fueled our success this season,” Smisek echoed.

From the beginning of the season, the Johnnies had nationals in their minds. Senior Dom Odden said that the new recruits were just as hungry as the returners, fueling the confidence of the whole team, and motivating them to work hard for regionals.

The regional competition was one to remember, as the Johnnies knocked out Franciscan University in the first round, a rival school who beat the Johnnies in the final round of regionals last year. In the final round of the regional championship, St. John’s went up against Rio Grande.

SJU took home the Midwest Small College Cohen Cup Championship title with a winning score of 51-34.

The Johnnies will now have the opportunity to play two more games at nationals in Houston, TX.

Cowan has helped shape the team and push them from ranking eighth at the beginning of the season to second according to the NCR Coaches Poll.

“Our coach Tammy has been playing and coaching rugby for longer than I have been alive,” Kokesh said, “[She] is more than a coach and anyone that knows her, or had her as a coach, will say the same.”

“Tammy Cowan is much more than just a phenomenal rugby coach. She is the person that holds the team together,” Smisek agreed.

In addition to nationals, the SJU rugby team is looking forward to the spring season, where they will continue to recruit and build the team.

“As a team we try and take an international tour every two years and… we do this as a service opportunity in another country as well as a way to gain intercultural experience through our shared love of rugby,” Odden said.

The team will also have a competitive seven-man season, as well as playing some 15-man games.

“We are going to work as hard as possible in and out of practice to become the best we can be,” Smisek said.