Community involvement hurls men’s rugby toward national bid

A group of MSU students has been regularly braving Montana’s winter weather four times a week on a quest to better themselves and their community. This is the men’s rugby club, which is juggling major ambitions of securing a bid to nationals while also serving the Bozeman area.

The team competes in the Division II competition of the Collegiate Rugby Championship. They compete in qualifying matches throughout the season with the ultimate goal of securing an automatic bid by winning their conference, the Rocky Mountain Rugby Union. This automatic bid would send the team to Washington, D.C., in April for a second consecutive appearance in the national tournament and a chance to improve on its ninth place national finish from last season.

The club has 34 members this spring, which is fairly typical, according to Jackson Ellbogen-Pettersen, the president and captain of the team. Among these members, rugby experience is in short supply. 

“We get a lot of wrestlers, a lot of football players that come in thinking they are done with sports, and then come to school and see that there is a rugby team,” Ellbogen-Pettersen said. “They come out and give it a try. Then they’re hooked.”

The lack of experience hasn’t slowed down the team, which won three out of four games in the first tournament of the season in Ogden, Utah.  This tournament counted towards their bid to nationals as qualifying matches.  The team bounced back from a 21-22 loss to Utah State University with a three game winning streak, including a 26-0 victory over Colorado Mesa University, a 24-0 win over Weber State University and a 21-5 win over the University of Wyoming.  This strong showing at the first qualifying tournament places the team in a position to continue competing for the automatic bid to nationals.

Off the rugby pitch, working with the community is a main goal of the club, both to give back and to help the team financially support itself. Members of the club can frequently be found fundraising by working the concession stand for MSU athletics.

“We get almost all of our money from fundraising and sponsorships that we work with the community to get set up,” Ellbogen-Pettersen said. He added that the club is fully student run as well. 

The club sees community outreach as a way to give back to those who support them. “Our biggest thing is giving back to the community who supports us. Just yesterday we were over at Chief Joseph Middle School doing their Dr. Suess Read Across America Day,” Ellbogen-Pettersen said. Additionally, the club works with the Cancer Support Community (CSC) by volunteering in fundraising efforts for them and sending players to help staff CSC events.

The club hopes its work in the community is also reflective of the camaraderie  within rugby. “I think the coolest thing about rugby is the community. You can go anywhere in the world and if you sit down and you’re next to someone who plays rugby, you’re gonna hit it off,” Ellbogen-Pettersen said.

If you want to learn more about the team, they can be reached at mensrugby.montanastate@gmail.com or can be found on Instagram, @montanastaterugby.