NEWPORT — The Salve Regina Seahawks are soaring high as the 2012 National Small College Rugby Division champions after defeating the rival Keelhaulers from California Maritime Academy 22-15 in the championship playoff held April 29 in Glendale, Colo.
For team member Richard Casey, a parishioner of St. Agnes Church, Providence, and a member of the Class of 2007 at Bishop Hendricken High School, Warwick, the victory was especially meaningful. During last year's playoffs, which were held in Virginia, Casey was summoned to quickly return to Rhode Island, arriving minutes before his ailing father, Richard J. Casey Jr., died in a local hospital.
Noting that the team always prays the "Hail Mary" before each game, Casey added that during the recent playoffs, the rugby players also recited the "Our Father" in memory of his late father on the one-year anniversary of his death.
Casey was one of a handful of graduate students who played on this year’s team. He was a member of the Class of 2011, and pursued additional studies in business administration. He will attend Roger Williams University School of Law in the fall.
"They are my brothers," Casey said of his teammates. "They helped me get through a very challenging part of my life."
To capture a spot in this year’s finals, the Seahawks surmounted a formidable challenge the previous day from the Barons of Franciscan University, Steubenville, Ohio, winning the semifinal 29-20.
For the Seahawks, the third time was indeed the charm as the university's rugby team had been to the NSCRO's "final four" playoffs two times previously; in 2009 finishing fourth, and last year, ending up in third place. The Salve team is the first from a Catholic college to win the division championship.
Rugby coach Mike Martin said he was "overwhelmed with joy" and "speechless for days" after his team captured the national title.
Graduating senior Dan Murphy, a 2007 alumnus of LaSalle Academy, and a parishioner of St. Luke Parish, Barrington, attributed the Seahawk's success to his teammates' mutual respect, love for the game and focus on a common goal.
"I've been on this team for four years, and it feels good to bring it home," he said, emphasizing that he hopes the teammates will remain lifelong friends.
Co-captain Paul Schacter of Greenwich, Conn., described rugby as a "gentleman's sport" and noted that while teams certainly focus on winning, there is a solid camaraderie among players.
"After the game, we're all friends," he said, adding that following the match with Franciscan, both teams and their coaches gathered for prayer.
Jesse Di Tullio of Worcester, Mass., the 35 member team's other co- captain, described winning the championship as "almost surreal." He added that the team was proud to share the victory with university, whose president Mercy Sister Jane Gerrity, led a group of proud supporters who greeted the rugby team when they returned to the oceanside campus from Colorado.
