Binghamton University men’s rugby club to host sevens tournament

BINGHAMTON, NY – For the fourth year in a row, the Binghamton University men’s rugby club will host a sevens rugby tournament starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 22, at the Binghamton University Outdoor Track & Field Area, near the East Gym, Recreation Center. The tournament, which is free and open to the public, will run throughout the day. Binghamton is one of three sites to host a conference tournament.

Rugby has been a staple at Binghamton since 1979, when the Tasmanian Devils Rugby Club first took the field against Syracuse University. Today, the Binghamton University men’s rugby club competes in the Empire Conference as a Division I club under USA Rugby.

Rugby sevens features seven players battling it out on the pitch during two seven-minute halves. Players must have speed, stamina and a sharp mind to excel in this less-crowded, fast-paced game. Summer 2016 saw sevens rugby make its Olympic debut.

The club is expecting team representation from fellow Empire Rugby Conference members, including Brockport College, Colgate University, Fordham University, Stony Brook University, Syracuse University and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Non-conference members expected to attend include Le Moyne College, New Jersey Institute of Technology, SUNY Cortland and University at Albany.

The men’s rugby club is one of 42 recreational and competitive club sport teams at Binghamton University under the auspices of Campus Recreational Services.

To learn more about rugby and the national sevens tournament series, visit usarugby.org.

For more information about the tournament, contact the men’s rugby club student tournament liaison, Pierce Butler (pbutler2@binghamton.edu); or Craig Dube, sr. assistant director, Campus Recreational Services, at 607-777-4259 or cdube@binghamton.edu.