Hofstra Rugby Fights Administrative Veto of Championship Game

BY: URVI GANDHI

(May 2, 2022) — When the Hofstra men’s rugby team qualified for the May Madness 7s tournament, the largest national collegiate tournament for their division, they were riding high. They had worked tirelessly to climb through the ranks. Finally, their hard work paid off, and for the first time in the team’s history, they would compete at the championship in New Orleans -- or so they thought. 

Since qualifying on April 11, the days have been filled with confusion, frustration and disappointment from the team directed at Hofstra’s administration. On April 25, only a week after giving them the initial go-ahead, university officials informed the rugby team that they should cancel their travel accommodations with little explanation as to why, athletes said.

“We paid out-of-pocket, and now -- due to their arbitrary dismissal, like parents to a child -- we [were told we] can no longer go,” wrote team president Jake Shefcik, a Hofstra senior, in an email to The Clocktower.

A friend of the team launched a petition that same day demanding transparency from the school. It garnered over 2,800 signatures as of the writing of this piece. A week later, the school reversed course and allowed the team to travel to the championship. 

The team’s coach, Robert Ploth, declined to comment, citing developing circumstances. The university did not immediately answer The Clocktower’s questions about why they initially denied the team’s requests.

Despite being grateful to be allowed to play, Shefcik says the delay could have cost the team. “I feel like the other teams that we're gonna go play haven't really been dealing with this as far as I know. And that makes me worried just because it's putting us automatically at a disadvantage,” said Shefcik. “But I'm happy that we finally have something more definite than being in championship limbo.”

“We've worked so hard in the rain, in the snow, on our own personal time, you know, outside of practice,” said senior Johnathan Meyer, a former team president who still sits on its executive board. 

“To have all of that work discounted by the school, in such a cavalier way, would have been really heartbreaking. And even still, it doesn't feel good that we had to do all the stuff that we had to do to get it on track,” added Shefcik.

After initially qualifying for the Collegiate Rugby Championship on April 11, the team booked their flights and hotel rooms. The next day, they sent a four page participation agreement that they received from National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) to the director of Campus Recreation, Pat Montagano, according to emails. At 4:55 p.m. on April 15, the date the paperwork was due, Montagano signed the document just as the deadline was about to expire.

On April 25, 10 days later, team leadership was told by Montagano that the university had rescinded permission to attend the event, and the boys should cancel their travel arrangements.

Team members were told one of the reasons they were not able to go was because the document had been signed without the proper required legal oversight. Shefcik was told the school required at least one month to review any legal agreement that needed to be signed.

“If that was the case, like, why not just ask for an extension or something?” Shefcik said.

That being said, each member of the team that The Clocktower spoke to said that Campus Recreation, the department in charge of club sports, has consistently been a strong ally to them.

“The club sports department heads would like to see us go just as far as we'd like to. They’ve been following us and supporting us since the very beginning,” said Shefcik.

“[Pat Montagano] has really worked her butt off for us all year. She has been our biggest advocate,” said Karl Verastegui, one of the team’s co-captains. 

When the petition was first circulated, a university spokesperson told The Clocktower, “The Division of Student Affairs is currently working with the rugby team to come up with a way for them to attend the event in New Orleans.”

This is the first time ever that a rugby team at Hofstra has been invited to the tournament. According to the NCR website, the Collegiate Rugby Championship has driven massive growth in college rugby 7s programs. The tournament will take place from Thursday, May 26, to Tuesday, May 31, and draws over 20,000 fans, major sponsors and national broadcast partners, including its current partner CBS Sports.

As the team is classified as a club rather than a varsity team, it does not receive official funding from the university. Rather, like other clubs, they have to be reimbursed by the Student Government Association for their expenditures. 

The team all purchased plane tickets to New Orleans for prices ranging from $300 to $600, out-of-pocket, as they cannot be reimbursed for flights.

“We raise money for ourselves and through fundraising and we've had to spend thousands and thousands of dollars getting to games and participating in tournaments,” said team treasurer and co-captain Joe Altomare. 

“I'm glad that we made the fuss in the long run,” said Shefcik. “I would have done it again. I don't think anything would have happened without that.”

Photo courtesy of Tom Grady.