Lehigh University

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LURFC

"Good is the Enemy of Great!

Few people attain great lives,

in large part because it is just

so easy to settle for a good life.”

Jim Collins

Prospective Players

At Lehigh Rugby, we understand that our players are students first and foremost. Our club has found great success on the pitch recently because our student athletes have prioritized rugby behind only academics, faith and family. For the two months of our fall 15’s season, we’ve committed among ourselves to strive for greatness.

High School ruggers are asked to send an email to Coach Rich Sorensen (contact below) regarding their interest in attending Lehigh University and playing rugby for the Mountain Hawks. Coach Rich and one of our student athletes will promptly respond to introduce themselves and answer any questions you might have about the team or life at Lehigh in general. We’d also love to host you and your family at one of our fall 15s games or practices so you can see for yourself what makes the Lehigh University Rugby Football Club so special.

The 5 Tenets of Lehigh Rugby are

Brotherhood
Hard Work
Selflessness
Excellence
Legacy

Lehigh winning the ruck

Go Lehigh!

Lehigh winning the lineout

Contacts

Rich Sorensen

Head Coach

Phone: (610) 216-8895

Nick Stefanidis

President

Phone: 2013103784

Jack Carroll

Captain

Phone: 8609068706

Joshua Gordon

Vice President/Match Secretary

Ready to take the field

Coach's Bio

Coach Rich began his rugby career as an inside center at the University of South Carolina from 2000 – 2003. In school he made the Palmetto Union Select side all three years and was the captain in 02 & 03.

Following graduation he transitioned to playing flyhalf for the local men’s club, Columbia Olde Grey. In 2005 he simultaneously played and was the Backs coach at his alma mater, USC.

In 2006, he moved with his wife to her hometown of Bethlehem and began playing with the Lehigh Valley RFC the following year. He played 6 more years and lead the team as flyhalf to back to back Mid-Atlantic final 4s in 2009 & 2010. He hung up his boots for good in 2013.

He coached the Backs for his old club in 2014 & 15 before stepping away for 2 years to coach Little League and spend more time with his kids.

In 2017, LVRFC came calling and asked him to take over as head coach. Following a .500 record the year before, Coach Rich led them to undefeated fall and spring seasons and a 17-0 record as they won the both the EPRU and Mid-Atlantic Conference for the first time. The team finished #7 in the country.

During that 2017 season, LVRFC and Lehigh University ran a couple joint practices. When Lehigh’s coach retired following that season they offered the job to Coach Rich and he accepted.

Lehigh Rugby finished 3-3 in his first year as head coach and are on pace in 2018 for a 4-2 finish and the school’s first playoff berth in 5 years. Coach Rich is a very hands on coach and not afraid to get down in the mud and lead by example. He demands a lot of us but the rewards are well worth the hard work. Lehigh Rugby is a program on the rise and we are extremely excited to have a young up-and-coming coach with 15+ years experience in the game, at the helm.

Game Day

Where it all began, South Carolina

Making a break

At my son Jackson's High School game.

Just before Kickoff

Drop Goal in Open Play

Halftime

My Family on Game Day

About Lehigh Rugby

The Lehigh Men's Rugby Club has a proud tradition as the oldest club sport on campus. We compete in Div 2 of the MARC Rugby Conference for both our fall 15s and spring 7's seasons . Our 15s season runs from move-in day through the first week of November with National Playoffs to follow. We consistently field both a 1st and 2nd XV.

We enjoy fantastic support from the university, including lush practice fields and indoor practice facilities. We play our home matches across from Goodman Stadium on one of the nicest dedicated rugby pitches in the northeast.

Once the winter thaw melts, although we transition to playing 7s in the MARC, we also host an Alumni weekend and 15s match against the crafty veterans that have come before us. Once you become a Lehigh rugger, you become one for life. The entire weekend is spent reliving old glory days for our graduated players while giving the current student athletes a glimpse into just how special a fraternity of men, they have joined.

Each spring, the club also goes to at least one weekend long 15s tournament throughout the country. Last year we went up to Beast of the East in Rhode Island. Upcoming plans include a tour of the Bahamas, the Mardi Gras tournament in New Orleans and the Savannah, GA St. Patrick's Day tournament. By themselves, each are bucket list tournaments for any collegiate rugby player; combined, they punctuate why playing at Lehigh is so rewarding.

Our Mission as a club is to strive for both On-Field Excellence and Off-Field Enjoyment & Experience.

About Lehigh University

Located in Pennsylvania's beautiful Lehigh Valley, Lehigh is one of the nation's most distinguished private research universities. Through academic rigor, an entrepreneurial mindset and collaborative opportunities we challenge our students to become the leaders of the future.

Lehigh University is an American private research university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer. As of 2014, the university had 4,904 undergraduate students and 2,165 graduate students. Lehigh is considered one of the twenty-four Hidden Ivies in the Northeastern United States.[6]

Lehigh has four colleges: the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science, the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business and Economics, and the College of Education. The College of Arts and Sciences is the largest, which roughly consists of 40% of the university's students.[7] The university offers a variety of degrees, including Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Business Administration, Master of Engineering, Master of Education, and Doctor of Philosophy.

Lehigh has produced Pulitzer Prize winners, Fulbright Fellows, members of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and of the National Academy of Sciences, and National Medal of Science winners.

U.S. News & World Report ranked Lehigh tied for 53rd among national universities in its 2019 edition of "Best Colleges".[20] The Economist ranked Lehigh 7th among national universities in its 2015 ranking of non-vocational U.S. colleges ranked by alumni earnings above expectation.[21] Entrepreneur Magazine and The Princeton Review named Lehigh the 24th best undergraduate college for entrepreneurship in 2012.[22]

The Wall Street Journal in June 2010 ranked Lehigh as number 12 in the nation for return on investment (ROI) when comparing the average career earnings of a graduate to the cost of an education.[23]

U.S. News & World Report classifies Lehigh's selectivity as "Most Selective."[20] For the Class of 2022 (enrolled fall 2018), Lehigh received 15,623 applications and accepted 3,418 (22%).[27] The middle 50% range of SAT scores for the enrolled freshmen was 630–730 for critical reading and 660–755 for math, while the ACT Composite middle range was 30–33.[27] Per Lehigh's school newspaper, 2022 marked the most selective year with a 19% acceptance rate for regular decision applicants.

Lehigh's average class size is 27 students; 80% of classes have fewer than 35 students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is 10:1.

Lehigh University offers undergraduate enrollment in all colleges but the College of Education: the P.C. Rossin School of Engineering and Applied Science, the College of Business and Economics, and the College of Arts and Sciences. Students are able to take courses or major/minor in a subject outside of their respective college.[28] The university operates on a semester system.[29]