When Lydia Blatz first stepped onto the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) campus, she didn’t experience an immediate connection with her fellow first year students. In search of community, she attended the activities fair during Bulldog Welcome Week. Once there, she was drawn to the UMD Women’s Rugby Club table. She knew nothing about rugby, but after speaking with members of the team, she felt encouraged to try something new. That was last fall, and now Blatz is the president and a team captain.

“I was able to get an amazing group of people to fall back on,” Blatz said. “It’s a great support system to have, especially when you're coming into a new experience like college.”

Fellow first-year student Makayla Tierney is another captain and social media manager for the team. For her, rugby is a “whole heart” sport where she feels powerful, but in a safe and controlled environment. 

“My journey is still beginning, but it's been super fun, and it's allowed me to push myself outside of my boundaries and learn something new and connect with other people that I normally don't get to connect to,” Tierney said.

UMD Women’s Rugby Club is one of 24 unique sport clubs at UMD that offer students opportunities to connect over a common interest while gaining leadership and organizational skills. 

Rugby is new for most team members, but some do have experience with the sport. Camille Fleming played for her high school team in Becker, Minnesota—one of only a handful of women’s high school teams in the state. When she transferred to UMD, she was excited to have the opportunity to play again.

“You get to know so many people, and you just become friends with everyone,” she said. “It’s such a tight-knit community.”

Fellow teammate Brianna Deming joined the team her senior year after a break from the UMD Women's Hockey Club left her wishing for a team atmosphere and the thrill of competition. What she found in rugby helps her feel complete. She has a tattoo on her back that reads, “Set your heart ablaze,” which, for her, means “going towards anything that makes your heart patter with excitement.” Rugby does just that.

“I feel so accepted here,” Deming said.

Learn more about sport clubs at UMD.

Header image caption: Members of UMD Women’s Rugby Club practice a line-out drill in the Richard Haney Multipurpose Rink.

The video above was produced with help from UMD student Tanner Dorschner, who is majoring in Theatre. Tanner works with David Cowardin in University Marketing & Public Relations.