VOLUME 12, NO. 3     MAY 1999

Rugby punishes New England

The rugby team reached for the sky during a game last fall and made it to the quarterfinals at this winter's first indoor tournament.

arly February's cold temperatures invigorated WPI's energetic and talented men's rugby team, which made it to the quarterfinals of the region's first indoor rugby tournament. The University of New Hampshire hosted the two-day tourney, which included 24 men's teams and 12 women's teams.

WPI set the standard for the aggressive, hard-hitting championship when it beat Colby-Sawyer 15-0 in the first game of the day. The next matchup showcased players' running, passing and tackling skills with a 35-0 victory against Massachusetts rival Wentworth Institute of Technology.

The Wentworth rout qualified the men for the quarterfinals on Day 2. The team got off to a sluggish start against Western Connecticut State, which was riding high on a victory over Division I Northeastern University. WPI didn't stay down for long, quickly moving to what the team does best-punish the opposition-and rebounded to a 10-5 win and a berth in the final four, where Wheaton took WPI out of the finals with a 20-15 victory.