Despite Limited Resources Dixie State Succeeds

Dixie State may be small in terms of school enrollment but when it comes to the rugby pitch they hit high above their weight. The school, which got approval from the Utah Legislature to officially become a university in the near future, is a part of the new Utah Collegiate Rugby Conference (check out Dan Holzhauer's article on the conference). Head coach Jeremy Lister has essentially restarted the club with only a handful of players returning from last year.

Despite that challenge the team has done well well. They played in the Red Rocks tournament and recently participated in the Las Vegas Invitational. The team lost their first match to Arizona by a lopsided result but then rebounded with a huge 50-12 victory over Arizona State. Flanker Chad Gough had a good match as did the halfback pairing of Gentry Neil and Brent Phillips.  Overall the team has six wins on the season opposed to three losses.

To have such a positive result for a small school from St. George is quite an accomplishment. The team should only improve as they continue to bring in players from strong Utah programs, including neighboring Snow Canyon High School, and the large Pacific Islander community in Utah. The school also has incorporated the many international students on campus and bolsters several Chinese players on their roster.