Player Spotlight: Takudzwa Musingwini, Iowa Central
Player Spotlight: Takudzwa Musingwini, Iowa Central
Iowa Central CC’s second-half surge to defeat Iowa State this past weekend was certainly a team effort, but it’s hard to ignore the contributions of one player.
Takudzwa Musingwini scored three tries against one of the top D1AA teams in the nation, slicing up the Cyclone defense and maybe at times putting fans in mind of a slightly more famous Takudzwa who suited up for the USA.
“Taku is not just a phenomenal rugby player, he is a leader, a great teammate, and an all-around incredible young man,” enthused Tritons Head Coach Bent Nelson. “He’s a show stopper on the pitch.”
From Harare, Zimbabwe, like his namesake Ngwenya who payed 36 times for the USA, Muaingwini first started playing for Admiral Tait Primary School in Zimbabwe’s capital.
“I was more into cricket and soccer but after I had a knee injury, funny enough, I was more focused on rugby and my passion for the sport gets me going forward despite all the injuries,” he told GRR.
Injuries have been a frustration, but when he’s healthy, Musingwini turns heads. He played for Zimbabwe at U14 up into the U20s, a team he captained in 2022. At 19 he was capped by the senior Zimbabwe team (so no Eagles callup for him!). And in fact, this past summer he was on the Sables national side that won the African Championship, with Musingwini starting at fullback for his country.
At Prince Edward School as a high schooler he was Head Boy as well as a star on the rugby team. And it was his rugby coach at Prince Edward who turned him on to Iowa Central.
Musingwini called it a “God-given opportunity” to go to the USA, study, and play rugby. The Business Administration major didn’t hesitate.
“I had to grab it with both hands because opportunities like these don’t come often and I wanted to go far with my rugby as well as my education,” he explained.
But all of this, including coming through injuries, Musingwini credits two people—his parents. "Mum & Dad" are written on his wristband on gameday so he is literally wearing his respect for his parents on his sleeve.
"My rugby journey has been all ups and downs but one thing my parents and most players I played with always told me was to always chase what you know is meant for you," he said.
Getting back on the pitch for Iowa Central this fall he showed he is continuing to improve.
“His carrying, passing, and kicks are top-level,” said Nelson. “The best part of his game, though, is that he makes those around better, players and coaches.”
In this past weekend’s game, Iowa Central struggled a bit in the first half, finding themselves down 14-12 as halftime approached.
“It was a learning curve for the boys as this was our first proper competition,” Musingwini. “We had a few errors in that half that we later on fixed. We got better at it in the second half and us being calm, collective and running the structure pretty well made us victorious in the end.”
It showed to Musingwini that the Tritons have what it takes to handle a little adversity.
“This game was a heads-up for us, so we have to go back to the drawing board and fix some errors but i am confident in this fall season,” he told GRR. “I really am confident in the team because we really have some outstanding athletes and the chemistry between the players has been phenomenal and you can just feel the atmosphere that we are more than just teammates but brothers.”
