Fall is the start to many things: a new school year, sports seasons, and the beginning of the holiday season. But for about 20 SMSU girls, it means the start to bracket style play for rugby.

Rugby is a club at SMSU meaning there is not a coach or official conference for the rugby team. Because it is a club, the rugby team cannot recruit players out of high school to come play for SMSU.

“Freshmen are a huge part of our team every year.” Megan Loger, a junior and third-year player on the rugby team said. “We love to get people involved by using resources like the SMSU activity fair and hanging flyers in the hallways.”

Many players on the team had not played rugby in high school, so the game is new to them. The team practices on Mondays and Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. They also get together a couple times a week to workout.

“Many of our games are away, and it’s fun to travel as a team and get to know other rugby players across the Midwest,” Loger said.

In 2017 the team will play in the biggest tournament of the spring semester in Wayne, Nebraska, which they attend annually.