In a sport where performance is dictated heavily by the conditions and every competition is a new challenge, an undefeated season is a rare sight — but for Cornell’s men’s rugby team, this unbeatable status has been something they've fought for throughout this year's season.
With eight games played and eight games won, this team has seen unprecedented successes, scoring 404 points across the season and proving itself to be an elite collegiate rugby team across the nation. While the squad has secured the Liberty League Trophy, this is just the beginning for them, as they are looking forward to moving on to the playoffs for the National Championship, starting off on Nov. 21 in which they play against Indiana University of Pennsylvania, the current No. 1 seed and defending national champions.
At the start of the season, hopes were high and energy was higher, and with a roster of many younger players, it was hard to predict what would happen throughout the season.
“We didn't really know what the competition was going to be like but once we started the season, we got a pretty good idea that we were going to be good, but at the beginning, we were a bit uncertain,” said senior co-captain Flynn Kelleher.
Recruiting players is off the table in club rugby, making it hard to predict which athletes will end up at what schools. This makes the competition between teams hard to predict until the season kicks off. Yet, through this uncertainty, the team knew that foundationally, they were ready to work hard.
“We knew whatever happened that this team was going to have a lot of passion, discipline and resilience and so we felt positive, even though we didn't know exactly what to expect,” said senior co-captain Mylo Skolnick.
In past seasons, the team struggled to keep up with the shifting dynamics of the team with players graduating and new players joining. Two years ago, the structure solidified, mostly due to the implementation of strong leadership and skilled coaches. The team onboarded coaches Max Madziva and Dave Burke who've had national and international playing and coaching experience.
“They’ve really helped transition the practices into more what you'd expect from a varsity sport, which has also increased the team’s commitment to the sport,” Kelleher said.
Additionally, they highlighted the importance of the squad's commitment to being a player-led team. With many high level players who have experience in competing in international events as well as players who’ve played in professional academies, having a strong level of tactical understanding from the players allowed for significant involvement in the creation of game strategy as well as quick decision making on the field. With these shifts, the conditions were primed for the squad to have a fantastic season.
Through all this, there was a single moment where the team knew they were destined for a strong season.
During their first game against Binghamton, Kelleher detailed how the team travelled with 17 players and when they arrived to the match, they realized the opposing team had over double the players they had — enough for an A and B team. After about 30 minutes of playing with only 14 players, one player less than usual, they realized that even with a smaller roster, the strength, passion and dedication their players had to the sport was unparalleled.
After a full 80 minutes of competition, they dominated the match and ended up with a 50-0 score, a defining moment of the season that showed them that an undefeated season was in the cards for them.
“So many players stepped up and so many freshmen pulled their weight, and I think that was when we knew that this was going to be a very strong season for us,” Skolnick said.
Although it's been an incredible season for the Red’s men's rugby team, there were times where the pressure was on. A major game that was highlighted as the most challenging of the season was the division final on Saturday Nov. 8, against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
“This was the first game we felt real pressure, there was something to lose,” Skolnick said. “We had beaten RPI before but this game was to wrap up an undefeated season and take home a trophy which, for us, was extremely meaningful because this was the first time we were ever going to do this.”
Regardless of the pressure and through the mental strain of needing a flawless performance to take home the trophy, the team persevered and won 33-8, securing their reputations as the Liberty League Champions.
Over the past few years, the team has been through a lot yet has come out on top, using creativity and dedication to create solutions instead of relying on excuses. They have continued to use their passion to give their all in each competition, a pattern they hope to continue through the upcoming National Championship circuit.
“At the end of the day, we aren't beating teams because we have better chemistry, but it's because the guys who are on the field, they play with a ton of passion,” Skolnick said.
