From July 28 th to August 24 th 2017, seven Susquehanna University Men’s Rugby players embarked on the trip of their lifetime as they toured Ireland as part of Susquehanna’s required study abroad program.

Seniors Tristian Campbell, Chad Hummel, Matt Kaltenbach, TJ King, Cooper O’Connell, and juniors Conor McVicar and Ryheem Powell participated in Susquehanna's Global Opportunities. or "GO" program - the program is ranked among theTop 10 study abroad programs in the country (Princeton Review). This one had a special benefit as it also helped the student develop their rugby skills.

The four-week experience got its start well before the players got on the plane. In February they began work with the university to detail how the trip would satisfy both a cultural immersion and a goal to conduct on-the-field rugby training in Ireland. As part of this process, the players and their coach, Dr. Jon Niles, worked with Irish Rugby Tours to assist in the trip.

The staff at Irish Rugby Tours worked to helped map out the trip and secured top-notch coaches to train the players at their various stops.

The trip began when the students met up with Irish Rugby Staff in Dublin, after several days they journeyed from there to Limerick, followed by Cork, Galway, and finally Belfast to complete a month of learning, intense rugby training, and exploring the country.

(Susquehanna University Men's Rugby Club visit Fortress Spike Island and Cobh Heritage Centre in Cork)

During the time when not training, the Susquehanna players embarked on several cultural and historical adventures. They toured the Guinness Storehouse and the Jameson Distillery in the first two days in Dublin. They made their way to other landmarks such as Spike Island in Cork, King John’s Castle in Limerick, the Aran Islands and Cliffs of Moher in Western Ireland. They visited the Giant's Causeway and other sites in Northern Ireland, and finished the trip with a visit to Kingspan Stadium in Belfast, where they had the opportunity to watch the semifinals of the Women’s World Cup. That was a highlight as the players were there to support the USA women as they took on New Zealand.

The trip was an incredible experience for everyone involved, and the players felt as though it helped give them the extra push needed to break into the next level of play. The players brought back to Susquehanna new knowledge of the game sharing it with the rest of their teammates.

(SU Captains Ryheem Powell and Cooper O’Connell at Giant's Causeway.)

The experience certainly paid off as Susquehanna finished the regular season at 7-0 outscoring their Mid-Atlantic Rugby Conferences NSCRO Gold competition by a 384-56 margin. In NSCRO playoffs on November 18 they faced off against 2016 NSCRO National Championship Quarterfinalist Loyola University of MD whom they had played the previous year. Unfortunately despite a 12-5 halftime lead, Susquehanna wasn’t able to overcome Loyola, losing 31-19. However, the experience of these players has grown the interest of other current players to incorporate a similar program into their GO experience for the future to help further strengthen the club.

Susquehanna University has been named one of Forbes Magazine Best 300 Value Colleges, it is home to a Top 5% business program, and Zippia ranked Susquehanna ninth nationwide for job placement after graduation. The men’s rugby team competes in NSCRO in the Mid-Atlantic Rugby Conference of which they were the 2017 champions with a 7-0 record winning their 2nd league championship in the last four years. They had previously qualified for the NSCRO 7s national championship from 2012-2016, and finished 3rd in the NSCRO 7s national championship in 2016.

-- Written by Cooper O'Connell