It was Friedrich Nietzsche who said that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger … or perhaps it was Kelly Clarkson.

With Kutztown University’s Robert Stortz being a double-major in Political Science and History, and also a young man versed in popular culture, he might well be familiar with both the singer from Texas and the philosopher from Germany, and he is certainly familiar with the sentiment.

In his first weekend of rugby games for Kutztown since his recovery from his second ACL surgery, Stortz scorched past Ottawa University and Algonquin University for five tries in helping the Golden Bears to a two-game sweep.

For Stortz it was a big weekend. While he played 7s over the summer, getting through two tough 15s games was a supreme test for his left knee, and his rugby future. It all helped, though, that he’s been through it before.

“This one was a lot quicker,” Stortz told Goff Rugby Report. “I knew what I needed to do this time around, and I knew I could push myself harder. I could talk to the physical therapists about how I wanted to do this extra, or that extra. I’d keep it within the parameters of what was safe, but I knew I could do more.”

Stortz documented his comeback with photos on his Facebook page, complete with surgery images, scars, and workout reports. He targeted the CRC 7s invitational as his comeback, and missed it by two weeks, a blow for him, but one he decided not to dwell on.

“The guys did great and it was nice to see them do so well without me,” said the speedy winger. “But it was tough. I was going to practices and being a part of the team, but there's a difference between being there, and being a player who’s a part of it all.”

Stortz wanted to produce as well as support, and this past weekend he got the chance to do that.

“It was great,” he said. “We're looking good this year. We have a lot of new talent and while we’ve lost some guys we do have some new players to fill in. I think we can be just as successful as were last year, when we won the ACRC.”

Stortz said Head Coach Gregg Jones and his staff have broken the season into little chapters. The ultimate goal is to win the Rugby East and play in a meaningful final game this fall, but it’s all broken down into smaller chunks, like the two-game trip to Canada.

That done, the next job is to start the Rugby East season, with the Bears hosting Buffalo this coming week. For Stortz it's the next stage on the comeback trail, a comeback that seems to have made him stronger.

Kelly and Fred would be proud.