Another fall season is in the books for club sports. Here is everything you may have missed from eight teams.
Men’s volleyball
The men’s volleyball team participated in two tournaments this semester. After middling results at a home meet in late October, the team claimed victory at a tournament hosted by Rider University on Nov. 15.
The team scraped by The College of New Jersey in the final match to secure gold, winning by three points in each set.
“Those were really intense games, and I think everybody played well,” junior president Ryen Rompala said. “We were acting as a team, not like our own people.”
One last tournament will take place this weekend to cap off the season.
“Hopefully we’re going to go there and get some wins,” Rompala said.
Men’s rugby
The men’s rugby team hit the pitch for two matches this season, losing on road trips to Millersville University and DeSales University in October.
Recruitment was a big focus for the team ahead of its 15s season, bringing in notable freshman contributors, such as Lucas Zandamella, who led the team in tries this fall.
“We definitely still struggled to hold a consistent 15s team at times,” senior Kieran Heim said. “But we lost a lot of seniors last year, and we did a pretty good job picking up freshmen.”
Women’s rugby
The women’s rugby team capped off its season in October with a tournament at Lehigh University, sweeping the day to finish the fall with a 5-2-1 record.
“We were meeting teams that we weren’t meeting before,” junior Dylan Elgart said. “The group we’ve got now is playing together really well.”
With dwindling numbers from the spring, the team saw a number of freshmen making an immediate impact.
“It was good to have some new faces,” Elgart said.
Crew
The crew team competed in three races, kicking off with the Head of the Charles Regatta in October and concluding in early November with the Frostbite Regatta.
“The fall is more so tuning up and trying to get on a good pace and trying to build a solid aerobic base that can hopefully carry us over the winter break into the spring,” senior Christo Maheras said.
Both the men’s and women’s teams took first place in the Frostbite Regatta, largely due to the impact of the team’s novices.
“They don’t usually come in until the last race of the season,” Maheras said. “That long ramp up that we have with them really does translate to a lot of success.”
Ultimate frisbee
The ultimate frisbee team competed in six tournaments this fall, wrapping up the season with its home tournament on Nov. 1.
The fall season serves as a meshing period between the newcomers and returnees, according to sophomore Iain Gilmartin. He said that much of the team’s practices have consisted of general cutting and standard plays, as well as learning how to handle pivots within the game.
“We were very fortunate this year that we had an excellent freshman cast coming in,” Gilmartin said. “The transition was very smooth throughout the season.”
Running
The running club took part in three races this fall, starting off with the Oktoberfest 5K in Bethlehem before climbing its way up to a half-marathon in the St. Luke’s D&L RaceFest in early November.
“It’s more for enjoyment because these races are bigger,” sophomore Julia McSharry said about the 5K.
Two runners competed in a marathon at RaceFest, including senior Anthony Malshyti, who placed second overall.
Men’s ice hockey
The men’s ice hockey team competed in only two games this season, dropping an 8-7 shootout to Bloomsburg University and losing 7-4 in its annual scrimmage with Lehigh ahead of Rivalry Weekend in late November.
A slash in the team budget led to the shortened season, according to sophomore treasurer Christian Valente.
“Ice is around $600 an hour at most rinks,” Valente said. “Games are even more expensive.”
The team is looking forward to its spring season, where it will return to its normal schedule of six home games.
“We’re getting the chance to play more teams that we wouldn’t have usually played in the past,” Valente said.
Baseball
The club baseball team concluded its season in September, finishing 0-4 after getting swept by Lehigh and Sacred Heart University.
“Our team didn’t really do so hot hitting the ball,” junior president Jake Dudas said. “The average from our team was less than .200.”
A decrease in involvement forced the team to shut down its season after the Sacred Heart series, with Dudas citing “a lack of priority” as the main reason.
“We lost our two catchers, and then I had to get behind the plate, and we lost a few pitchers,” Dudas said. “I expect the numbers to be better in the spring.”