Conestoga Rugby Club is a club sport for students of Conestoga High School in Berwyn, Pennsylvania. Established in 1971, it is the oldest High School-affiliated rugby program in the United States. During its 40+ years, the club has introduced the sport of rugby to nearly 500 students and has produced players who have gone on to play at prestigious levels of collegiate and premier club sides in the United States and abroad. Conestoga Rugby Club has three teams which compete in the Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union. The Conestoga Boys Rugby Team competes in the EPRU's Boys High School Division and was one of the first teams to join that division at the EPRU's founding. Over the years, Conestoga has won the EPRU Championship several times and has represented the EPRU and Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union (MARFU) at the National Championship Tournament. The High School Boys are coached by Rob Grassi with the assistance of Keith McClean and Alex Johnson. The Conestoga Girls Rugby Team competes in the EPRU's Girls High School Division. While the Girls team has not won the EPRU championship in its brief history, the Girls have finished as high as second and are routinely competitive with the top teams in the division. The Girls are coached by Ari Christakis with the assistance of Meri Gardner and Mike Ackerman. The T/E Tigers U-15 Rugby Team competes in the EPRU's U-15 Division (at this time, comprised of only boys under-15 teams). The U-15 Team has won the EPRU Championship, most recently in 2010. The U-15 Boys are coached by Pat Humbert. For a more detailed history of the club, please check out the Conestoga Rugby History Blog. |