The future of Penn Rugby is looking bright for this 2023 season with the addition of several new freshmen players.
The players are coming in with motivation and readiness to keep the Kingsmen tradition alive. With the guidance and support of Penn Rugby coaches and upperclassmen; the potential out of these student athletes is promising.
Freshman Dev Verma is one of these prospects. It is his first year playing rugby.
“Personally I’ve never played rugby before but Sam Sullivan and Wallace Kennach told me I’d be a great fit for it so I decided to try it out. One of the best decisions I think I’ve made for myself this year. I absolutely love it, the coaches here make the uncommon sport of rugby very exciting to play. The environment for every practice game is like no other. Everyone is very respectful towards each-other and willing to help out whenever. This sport is definitely something I want to play all four years at Penn,” Verma said.
The rugby upperclassmen, including Senior Wally Kennach, say they put in a lot of effort to recruit potential players before the season.
“Getting a lot of freshman this year was a big thing we needed so we can have a promising future. We’ve brought in a lot of great young athletes who I think by their junior and senior year they can real studs out on the rugby pitch. In the first JV game I saw them play, I saw a lot of potential and physicality which is what we look for in freshman. Even the few sophomores and handful of juniors are performing well and are doing good at taking criticism from our coaches. I think Penn rugby after I leave will be in good hands with all the athleticism, physicality and coachable nature the underclass men have,” Kennach said.
Talented Rugby Sophomore Caden Klatt also adds, “I would say not only the mentality has changed with the home team but also the physicality of the team has changed.”
The Penn Rugby Varsity team opened the season defeating St. Xavier, 43-17, in Louisville, Ky.
