From the moment that the Quinnipiac women’s team met Austin Hill, the Bobcats have been invested. In September 2013, the DI team traveled to Colorado to play Air Force, and that’s where the players and staff were introduced to the former rugby player. Now 15 years old, cystic fibrosis forced the high school athlete to hang up his boots, and he now spends costly weeks at a time in the hospital fighting his illness. Quinnipiac sprung to action and continues to raise awareness for the Austin Hill Project, which is the beneficiary of this Saturday’s Quinnipiac vs. Harvard charity game.

What: The Austin Hill Project Charity Match
Who: Quinnipiac University vs. Harvard University
When: Saturday, April 4 @ 12:00 p.m.
Where: Hamden, Conn. @ QU Rugby Field

When the team first met Hill, he explained how contact sports were no longer an option due to the medication port implanted in his chest. So the rugby team partnered with Quinnipiac’s medical and engineering schools, as well as USA Rugby, to develop a prototype chest protector. Quinnipiac began fundraising for the project so that kids like Hill could once again play contact sports.

Unfortunately for Hill, the teenager received a head injury during an accident and is now unfit for contact sports. While the chest protector project might find new life, Quinnipiac shifted its efforts in support of The Austin Hill Project, which helps with the medical bills. Each hospitalization lasts at least two weeks, and the Hill family is responsible for a $31,000 copay each visit.

Quinnipiac formed two teams – Team Hillin’ It and Austin-Tacious – to compete in a friendly fundraising contest. Team Hillin’ It is led by Ava Redmond, and the Bobcat is supported by teammates Jennifer Fremd, Madison Gegeckas, Jennifer Salomon, Rachel Wrinn, Maggie Myles, Karee Helgerson, Lindey Wise, Raechel Stimson, Lillian Weldon and Elisa Cuellar. Austin-Tacious is led by Abby Cook, who is supported by Christie Albers, Natalie Kosko, Aine McKeever, Margaret Wesolowski, Megan Johnson, Tayler Schussler, Rebecca Haight, Shannon Durkin, Flora Poole and Hailey Wyatt.

In conjunction with the town of Hamden (Conn.), donations from local businesses, Quinnipiac students and the community, the rugby team has raised more than $4,000.

Saturday’s event will bring more attention to not only the plight of Austin Hill, a member of the rugby community, but also cystic fibrosis and how projects like the chest protector could change people’s lives. Quinnipiac thanks Saturday’s supporters, including the Clarion, which provided a suite for the Hill family; Enterprise for transportation; local restaurants for donating meals; Stop & Shop for gift cards; Bread & Chocolate for its $500 donation and all tips from the month of March; the Bobcat Shop, which provided $500 worth of services for the printing of event t-shirts; and World Rugby Shop for supplying apparel for the referee kit. The Quinnipiac rugby team also purchased the Hill family’s airfare, so they could share in the charity event.

For more information on The Austin Hill Project or to donate to the cause, click here. And check out the game-day program we created the event:

ABOUT CYSTIC FIBROSIS
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of 30,000 people across the United States and 70,000 worldwide.  With this genetic disorder the individual's body produces unusually thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and obstructs the pancreas. Thus, cystic fibrosis causes many life-threating lung infections, difficulty breathing, and the inability for natural enzymes to help the body break down and absorb food.