It started out as an experiment.
In 1985, Kevin Egan paired up with Brian Bolon ’90 (Electrical Engineering) to try and create an official New Paltz Rugby Football Club at SUNY New Paltz.
Of course, two people aren’t enough to form a side. The pair recruited former football players, athletes who wanted to try something new and people who were just looking for a group to join.
“We knocked on people’s dorms and said, ‘You don’t know how to play? We'll teach you,’” said Egan.
Despite being a young team with only a handful of players and limited financial resources, they soon found a regional collegiate league that was eager to expand. The Club’s early days consisted of carpooling, coordinating things off the cuff and supplying their own equipment and jerseys.
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From those humble beginnings, the New Paltz Rugby Football Club quickly became a passionate collective of student and alumni athletes. They held their first alumni reunion celebration in May 1990. In 1996, the women’s rugby team formed, building an even stronger base for the sport at SUNY New Paltz.
"I've been to almost every alumni weekend,” said Elizabeth Gilmore ’03 (Visual Arts), who met her husband on the men’s rugby team. “It’s nice to see everybody you haven’t seen since the year before.”
Over the years, the format of the gathering has evolved, but one thing always remained the same: old friends getting together and sharing stories again like no time has passed.
In most recent years, New Paltz alumni who played for the University get together for a golf outing at nearby Apple Greens Golf Course in New Paltz and to play rugby against the current teams on campus.
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This year, over 100 alumni returned to the Hawk’s Nest, including people flying in from as far away as Florida and New Orleans. The weekend is full of reminiscing and catching up, with some players bringing their children and grandchildren to enjoy the fun.
“We come back to support our teammates of today and the past to keep this thing moving forward,” said Egan. “I can’t point to another area in my life where I can pick up where I left off with one of my old or new buddies and it is always without missing a beat.”
Supporting each other and New Paltz
As important as these relationships have become, the Rugby Football Club has developed an even stronger sense of purpose. Their golf tournament raises funds for The Sean Geng Memorial Scholarship, which the Club created in 1993 after the death of former Rugby captain Sean Geng ’90 (Business Administration) in 1991. This year, they raised nearly $3,000 to add to the fund, which supports a member of the Rugby Club every semester – one from the men’s team and one from the women’s.
“It feels good to be able to contribute to others who are going through a similar journey that you did,” said Joseph Crimi ’91 (Electrical Engineering).
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Solidarity is what holds the generations of ruggers together, on and off the pitch. Over the years, the team has raised money to help the spouses of the families of other players they have lost, including buying bricks and trees on campus to keep their memory alive, and they’ve also built a robust professional network, as evidenced by the many Club alumni who now hold high-level positions at nationwide insurance company Aflac.
“We not only work together and have attended many work trips together, but we see each other a few times every year personally, with our favorite weekend being alumni weekend in May,” said Kevin McCarthy ’90 (Business Administration).
Rugby at New Paltz today
One of the highlights of the Rugby Football Club’s alumni weekend is that they get to play against the current teams for some light fun. That means squaring off against a new generation who are helping this community evolve. For example, the women’s team is officially changing its name to be known simply as the Rugby Club, encouraging non-binary and trans folks to get involved with the sport as well.
"I didn't even know what rugby was until I went to the club fair,” said Lily Belle Sgroe ’28 (Media Studies). “I went to one practice, and I actually really liked it, and it was good to have a physical outlet, especially my first year here. I stuck with it.”
When current men’s team president Caleb Persanis ’25 was deciding what college to go to, SUNY New Paltz became the top pick when he found out the Rugby program was well established.
“I was in conversation with the team over the summer before I moved in my freshman year,” said Persanis. “Now, I’m leaving it in a really, really strong position for it to hopefully continue for decades to come.”
Although there was a lull during the pandemic, the men’s team currently has about 45 members, split into A and B teams, making it one of the largest programs in the Tristate Rugby Conference.
Participating in the alumni reunion weekend has given the current players an opportunity to see the importance of continuing the tradition and carrying the legacy of the Club. Every year, they bring mulch to the memorial tree for Geng.
"I’ve made relationships with all of the generations of rugby alumni,” said Crimi. “It’s great to have that continuing perspective of how it evolves over time.”
