10 I MayI, 2015
The Guilfordian
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Rugby players ruck through rainy season
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BY BRIANNA PARKER
Staff Writer
Scrum. Tackle. Ruck Hooker. Prop. Knock-
on. No, this is not a random string of words.
These are rugby terms.
If you have never heard those terms before,
it is okay — many people have not. But for the
men’s and women’s rugby teams, they are an
important part of a game they love, a game that
brings people together not just on the field but
as a community.
The rugby clubs have had a strange season
this semester. Many games were rained out, so
neither team played more than three contests
all semester.
“We won our first game, so that was awesome,
and that got us pumped,” said senior Amanda
Wimer. “A lot of the teams that we usually play
in the area are dropping out because they don’t
have enough players, so we didn’t play a lot this
semester.”
Senior Becca Bacewicz said that they played
four games the whole school year and won three
of them.
“We’ve won more than the men’s team,” said
Bacewicz. “You should put that in the article.”
“This semester was very interesting especially
when it came to the weather,” said senior men’s
team president Brandon Wagstaff “We had
many home games, but it rained so much that
we only played two, and we lost both of them.
“A lot of our newer guys weren’t able to really
experience rugby through the game.”
Wagstaff said that the key to performing
better next year is recruitment. New rugby^^,
players, known as ruglefs, are prized members
of the rugby teams. Since rugby is a relatively
unknown sport and people do not know much
about it, recruiting ruglets can be difficult. .
“A lot of our players are seniors-this year, so
a lot of the team is leaving,” said Wagstaff. “It’s
up to the younger guys to step up. Hopefully,
they win do a good job recruiting new players.
“Sometimes it’s hard to recruit for rugby
because people get scared. They think of ^
it as football without pads, which can be
intimidating.” ^
The women’s team did well with recruitment
this year, bringing in many new faces. Because
many scheduled games were rained out, the
more experienced team members decided to
take this semester to really educate the ruglets
on the ins-and-outs of rugljy.
“We love the ruglets, we absolutely do,” said
WTmer. “Teaching them how to tackle is my
fevorite because the first thing they want to do
is hug you around the waist to bring you down,
which really doesn’t work So, the first thing
we teach them is how to bring someone down
around the knees.
“Once they learn how to tackle, they fall in
love with the sport.”
Many players’ favorite part of rugby, besides
the tackling of course, has nothing to do with
being on the field. The best thing about rugby
is just being on the team.
“I love the team,” said senior A.C. Canup.
(Top) The men's rugby team circles up before a game against Wingate University earlier this
season. (Bottom) Danielle Lawrence-Cohen '17 and Becca Bacewicz '15 run drills at practice.
“The team is where it’s at. You just gain this
family of people who have your back and like
you for you and needs you for you because
everyone has their own use. That goes for not
only on the field but off the field because
everyone has their own job in the friend group.”
“I love how it’s very team oriented,” Wagstaff
said of the game. “That’s one of the things that
really got me into it. You have to rely on others\
to succeed. Rugby is all about supporting your
teammates.
“It is a club sport. We aren’t here to win
championships or anything; we’re here to
have fun.”
2015 English Award recipients embody excellence
BY WILLIAM BURTON
Staff Writer
An annual tradition for Guilford College athletics is the
presentation of the English Awards. It is the most prestigious
award given to athletes that excel not only in their respective
sports but in the classroom and in their communities. These
recipients are leaders on and off the field, and they are prime
examples of what it means to be a student-athlete.
The English Award is named after Nereus C. English and was
originally an athletic scholarship given to students.
“It was designed to recognize the top student-athletes in
the athletics department for their leadership, their scholarship
and their overall ability,” said Sports Information Director and
Assistant Athletics Director Dave Walters.
Since Guilford is a Division III school, athletic scholarships
are not given. However, the English Award remains a top honor
for student athletes at Guilford.
Six student athletes were named as English Award recipients
for the 2014-15 seasons, the highest number in several years.
The recipients include senior Andris Goncarvos for track and
field, senior Eleanora Keene for women’s lacrosse, senior Matt
McCarthy for men’s basketball, senior Turner Votipka for
tennis, junior Matt Pawlowski for football and senior Drew
Thompson for golf
All of these student-athletes were nominated and then selected
by members of the athletics department to receive the award.
“I was very honored and did not expect to receive the award
at aU,” said Keene.
“It’s a great honor, especially being named with those other
kids who have won,” said McCarthy. “I know that they are
great athletes and great people so to be in the same category as
them;that is also a great honor.”
The student-athletes also gave credit to having great team
members as one of the reasons for their success in their sports.
“A lot of the guys work really hard on their own too, and I
think I have just been blessed with a good team,” said Votipka.
The recepients’ coaches saw leadership abilities earlier in their
athletic careers.
“(Turner) showed leadership skills, and he would take over
and do things,” said head tennis coach David McCain. “I look
for smart guys; guys that are reliable and can follow orders. I
knew early that he would be a team captain, and he’s been a
really good one.”
A great work ethic is something that was consistent among
English Award winners. This year’s student-athletes worked
extremely hard in their sports and in the classroom to be
successful.
“(Andris) will do anything we ask,” said head cross-country
and track and field coach Daimy Cash. “He does multiple events
at races to help out. On training days he does his workout and
then comes back and helps with other team members.”
The athletes are an excellent example of what it means to be
a student-athlete at Guilford College.
“(Andris) is just a really genuine human being and a great
representation of what an athlete can be here at Guilford,” said
assistant cross-country and track and field coach Kimberly
Cash.
These student athletes also work hard in the classroom to
maintain good grades. It is not easy, but they work to make it
happen.
“(Balancing school work and athletics) is definitely a grind,”
said McCarthy. “But the coaches do a good job of making us
go to study hall and having time set aside so that we get our
work done before or after practice.”
Matt Pawlowski was the only non-senior to receive the English
award this year. As a junior, unlike the other award recipients,
Pawlowski still leads by example in everything he does.
“When I look at leadership, I look at leadership as a big
picture not just on the football field but also off the football
field,” said head football coach Chris Rusiewicz. “(Matt) puts in
the work, in terms of the mental part of the game as well as the
physical part of the game, to prepare himself to play.”
The English Award winners this year worked not only
extremely hard in their respective sports but outside of their
sports as well. They have gone above and beyond what is
expected, truly demonstrating what it means to be a student-
athlete.
“This the highest honor that the department bestows upon
its student athletes,” said Walters. “The folks who are recognized
this year join a very impressive legacy.”