Men's rugby seniors to get one more shot at rival Dartmouth

There has been a long-standing rivalry between the Princeton and Dartmouth men's rugby teams which has grown deeper in recent years. The last two seasons, the Tigers have lost heartbreaking Ivy League tournament championship games to the Big Green. Princeton has not won a championship in over ten years. The team will get its chance in the Ivy League tournament this weekend at West Windsor Fields.

With highly competitive rugby clubs at colleges across the country, Princeton once again competed for a spot at the national tournament this season. But close losses to Kutztown and Penn State ended the Tigers' dreams of repeating last year's sweet sixteen final placing.

Despite the two disheartening losses, the Tigers managed to recover quickly. Last weekend, the team traveled to Roanoke, Va., and competed in the Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union championships.

Competing in the losers bracket because of the two losses, the Tigers finished in fifth place, defeating Towson, 16-14, and James Madison University, 26-10.

The team was carried by its three captains, seniors Stan Ruda and TJ Dammrich and junior Jeremy Meserole, Ruda led the team with 12 points in the tournament.

Now that a national championship in not a possibility for Princeton, the Tigers are now focusing completely on an Ivy League championship.

With the team carried by its seniors, this will be the last chance for many players to avenge painful losses and win an Ivy championship.

Every Ivy League school will be represented at the tournament, which moves to a different campus each year. Dartmouth is seeded first, while Princeton will be seeded second. The brackets have set the stage for the Tigers meet the Big Green in the finals.

Princeton will open up the tournament with a game against Columbia at 11:15 a.m. on Saturday, and the rest of the schedule depends on each team's success.