Rio Rugby set to make debut

Rio Grande Sports Information
RIO GRANDE, Ohio - The University of Rio Grande men's rugby program will make its debut on Saturday afternoon when the RedStorm entertains Baldwin-Wallace University.
Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. at the Rio Rugby Pitch, which was formerly the school's auxiliary soccer field.

"We are so excited to introduce the sport of rugby to southeast Ohio," said Rio Grande athletic director Jeff Lanham. "Rugby is a fast-growing sport in the U.S. It's very similar to American football and wrestling. We believe the high school athletes will enjoy it and benefit from the culture it brings to our campus. Rugby's an intense sport which creates a sense of pride and respect amount its participants and fans."
Rio Grande currently sports a 24-member roster for the fall, including one female - freshman back Madison Ackley (Chillicothe, OH). Team members hail from as far away as California and Washington, in addition to South Africa and England.
The RedStorm, who are members of both the National Rugby Championship (NRC) and the Allegheny Rugby Union (ARU), have an eight-game regular season schedule for the fall.
"It brings me great joy to launch our rugby program into Rio Grande history tomorrow," Rio Grande head coach Corey Momsen said. "Rugby is a beautiful game and I'm excited for the campus to get a taste of it down at Red Valley!"
A limited number of bleacher seats are available, although fans are being encouraged to "Fill the Hill" by bringing a lawn chair or blanket for festival-style seating on the hillside adjacent to the pitch.
Food from Greenlee's Farmhouse Market will also be available.
"We're excited for the opportunity to have our rugby program make its debut at home," said Ryan Smith, president of the University of Rio Grande and Rio Grande Community College. "It's one of our new athletic programs here at Rio and there's a buzz across the campus and in the community about the chance to see them play. Rugby is another avenue for us to attract students to our school - both male and female - to participate in intercollegiate athletics and, at the same time, receive a quality education."
Live video and play-by-play coverage of the match will be available at http://portal.stretchinternet.com/rio