In some ways this fall has been a season of turnarounds in Men’s D2 rugby, but few, if any, are more profound than what has happened in Mankato, Minn.
The MSU Mankato men’s team is Northern Lights champion and a real dark horse on the national stage, and all of that has come thanks to a remarkable shift in approach, culture, and pretty much everything else. Remarkable, for one thing, because this is a team that has embraced the rugby team ethos despite the fact that no one on the team ever played rugby before arriving on campus.
“When I started playing four years ago we were not anything special,” said club president Alex Wehrman. “We weren’t organized. We didn’t have any coaches. And while the social side of rugby is part of the game we were too social.”
When COVID shut down activities on campus, the leadership group of the team decided to push for a chance. No more partying the night before a game. Increase practices from (maybe) twice a week to three times a week without fail. Recruit hard, but recruit players they wanted on their team, who shared the same values.
“Even when we got back to campus and were able to train, and campus security was driving by to make sure we were training with masks on even when it was 90 degrees, we decided we would focus on what we can control,” said Wehrman. “We can control our attitude and our approach.”
In the fall of 2021 Mankato managed to play some games against South Dakota State, Minnesota-Duluth, and North Dakota State. The results weren’t exactly there, but the team began to come together.
