Lindenwood Lions men's rugby
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| Founded | 2011 |
|---|---|
| Ground(s) | Lindenwood Track Harlen C. Hunter Stadium (Capacity: 7,250) |
| Coach(es) |
JD Stephenson (Head Coach) |
| League(s) | Division I-A |
| Official website | |
| www |
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The Lindenwood Lions men's rugby team represents Lindenwood University in college rugby. Lindenwood plays in Division I-A in the Mid-South conference. The team is coached by Josh Macy. The Lindenwood men's rugby team won the 2012 USA Rugby Division II national championship in its inaugural season, and finished second in Division I-AA for the 2012-13 season. Following the 2012-13 season, Lindenwood moved up to Division I-A for the 2013-14 season. Lindenwood has also had success in Sevens. The Lions won the D1 7s National Championship in 2015 & the Red Bull University 7s Championship.
Lindenwood rugby began with the announcement in January 2011 the additions of men's and women's rugby to begin competition in the 2011-12 academic year. Lindenwood rugby was launched as one of the few varsity college rugby programs in the United States, and the program also provided scholarship funding for its student athletes. The university launched its rugby program, in part due to the growth of high school rugby throughout the country, Lindenwood's recognition of rugby's potential, and Lindenwood's realization that a strong rugby program could increase admissions.Ron Laszewski was selected as the first head coach of the Lions rugby team. Laszewski is a former head coach of the Saint Louis Bombers in the Rugby Super League, and was the first American coach to complete the International Rugby Board's Level 3 certification program. Lindenwood began play in USA Rugby Division II level in the Missouri Rugby Football Union (Missouri RFU), and in its first season Lindenwood played a mixed schedule of both Division I and II college programs. Lindenwood began with high expectations, intending from the outset to advance to higher levels of college rugby competition as the program matures. Despite the fact that the Lions had just begun competitive play, Rugby Mag ranked the Lions 2nd in their preseason poll behind defending Division II champions, University of Wisconsin–Whitewater.
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