St. Joseph's University
Hawks Men's Rugby is one of the premier field sports at Saint Joseph's University. The club's roots date back to the 1960s and there is a long history of success.
In the recent past, the team has appeared in several 15s championships and has won 6 conference championships in the last 7 years. The team has also played in both the Collegiate Rugby Championship and the USA Rugby Championship for 7's. SJU Rugby competes in tournaments such as the Las Vegas 7's tournament and the Jesuit Cup. The team competes in the D1-AA division and is regularly ranked among the top teams in the Country. SJU Rugby also plays in the Mid-Atlantic Rugby Conference, which is made up of teams located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia. The conference promotes high-level competition among all the teams. SJU is under the command of head coach Mike Williams. With him, there is a team of assistant coaches and a strength and conditioning coach. The team also uses the varsity facilities of Saint Joseph's such as Sweeney Field and the Hagan Weight Room.
The Hawks won the Keystone Conference in the fall of 2017. In 2016, the Hawks defeated West Chester then Rutgers in the final round of four.
St Joe's covered a lot of miles in the spring of 2016, traveling to Bermuda for the Ariel Re Bermuda 7s, finishing third in the Keystone 7s series, winning the Plate at the West Chester 7s on April 16, sending teams to both the Jesuit Cup tournament at Santa Clara University and the Kutztown 7s on April 23 then heading to URugby Virginia Beach featuring the ACRC7s on April 30.
Knowing Head Coach Dan Yarusso there will be more of the same in 2017. St Joes will be attending the Ariel Re Bermuda 7s and the URugby Virginia Beach featuring the ACRC7s at the end of April.
“St. Joe’s has been good at 7s for years, and it’s their ball movement, kicking skills, and ability to read the field that makes them dangerous,” notes Alex Goff in his 2016 ACRC7s preview.
The Hawks finished first in the KRC East Division in Fall 2015, falling in the playoffs to eventual conference 15s champs JMU.
The Hawks finished first in the KRC eastern division in Fall 2014, falling to west division champs West Virginia University in the title game to finish second in the league. The Hawks are coached by Dan Yarusso.
