Welcome!

The rugby programs at SUNY New Paltz have had a tremendous impact on so many lives since the first graced campus in 1985. This newsletter will serve as a connection to the current teams no matter where you find yourself in the world. This issue is a preview of the upcoming season featuring the thoughts of the coaches and presidents for both teams.

Women’s Team

The New Paltz women kick off their season this weekend against Drew University. Ahead of their first hit-out of the year, President Celina Nehme is excited about the trajectory her team is on.

“Our team is currently the largest it’s been in recent years. Our roster is almost at thirty people this season, with about fifteen new players joining this fall. This semester we are focused on building our team, becoming stronger, and scoring some tires along the way.”

Thierry Duclay heads into his second season at the helm of the women’s program at New Paltz this September. Asked about the preparations, Duclay said he has used his short preseason to emphasize skills over tactics.

“With only two weeks of practice, our focus has been on offering a crash course to players, many of whom are completely new to the sport. While the team has yet to secure a win, we’re celebrating small victories in the basics - tackling, rucking, and organizing both defense and attack.”

Additionally, he sees the recent events of the Paris Olympic Games as an opportunity to energize his athletes heading into the fall.

“Inspired by the bronze-winning women’s Olympic team, these athletes are showing heart and determination as they work toward restoring New Paltz’s rugby legacy to its pre-COVID strength.”

This Sunday, the women will kick off at 1 pm against Drew University in Madison, NJ. If you are interested in showing up to support, the address for the field is below.

36 Madison Ave, Madison, NJ 07940

Men’s Team

The New Paltz men have just wrapped the second of their two preseason games. Coming away with one win and one draw, President Caleb Persanis is looking to ride that momentum into conference play.

“We’re really looking forward to this season. We’ve got the biggest and best team we’ve had in more than four years. Our goal for last season was to rebuild and create a winning team. We did that pretty well, so our goal for this season is to win the whole thing! I’d love to bring some silverware home this year.”

Old rivalries are alive and well in the Hudson Valley and Persanis has circled a cross-river trip to Vassar as their biggest test of the campaign.

“I know our Vassar game is going to be tough… probably the toughest of the season. I know we can win it though, so I’m confident. I’m really excited for the rest of the season. It’s set to be a good one!”

New Paltz alumnus Joel Venebles resumes his role as head coach for the second year with the men’s team. First taking the field for NPRFC 1990, his love and enthusiasm for this team has only grown. As head coach, he has found that guiding the team forward doesn’t always go as planned.

“Having Raymond die last year was a big wake up call for the team. I think we all realized how much rugby can change someone’s life. It made me look differently at going to practice to teach the guys who are just learning and being exposed to rugby. That’s what New Paltz is really about - although we are an awesome team this year haha. My main thing is to recruit and find the next Raymond. We want to get as many players to play as possible.”

Venebles has been able to do just that, now boasting a roster of over 40 players coming to practice three days each week. His task now will be getting this group ready for conference play.

“Playing away at Hofstra was tough mainly because of their numbers and we actually lost one of our most promising new guys there, Juan Molina, with a broken femur. I think our toughest game might have actually been this past week. This season is winnable and our goal is to be undefeated. Right now we’ve got one tie and one win, so we’re going to keep going with our game plan. We’ve got a really exciting group of guys - a couple internationals from Ireland and South Africa, some tough wrestlers, and plenty of speed all over the field. Defeating a division 1A team in Binghamton 41-5 and hanging with Hofstra is an awesome way to start the season, so I’m excited to see what we can do. We’ve got a great leader in Caleb and I could go on for hours naming every dude I’m psyched about. Like I said, our goal is to go undefeated, recruit a bunch of guys, and do what Raymand always said, “Grind and never stop.”

Preseason Results:

Draw with Hofstra University 12-12

Penalty Goal: Fred Asher (3)

The men’s team will contest an intrasquad scrimmage this Sunday at home. The Blue vs Orange match will serve as a last opportunity for players to impress Coach Venebles and secure their spots in the match-day 23 before conference play begins the following week against SUNY Maritime. Kickoff is at 2:15 pm for those who would like to cheer on a guaranteed New Paltz win.

*Note that the Fairfield game on 9/23 has been replaced with the Blue vs Orange game.

What To Expect

Every week we will be bringing you a recap of the latest matches alongside a check-in with team leadership.

We would also like to feature some of our alumni still involved in the sport! If you are currently playing, coaching, reffing, or otherwise involved in rugby please respond and let us know! Once a hawk, always a hawk.

Keep your eyes peeled in the coming weeks for ongoing projects to support the rugby programs as well. All of these student-athletes will be moving on from their time at New Paltz and we have an amazing community of professionals that they would benefit from speaking to.

As Joel mentioned, one of the men’s players sustained an injury this past weekend and could use help paying surgery bills and getting back on his feet. If you want to help and in a position to do so, please reach out. There will be other opportunities to contribute and as they are organized, you will be notified here.

Last, but not least - merch! There is a team shop open now for those who want to fly the color to a game this season. See the link below to get your gear today.

This will be by far the longest email sent, so thank you for bearing with us. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to reply. Otherwise, you’ll hear from us next week.

Go Hawks!