Rugby, possibly the only sport that can hold its own againsthockey in terms of broken bones, teeth and the overall toughness ofits participants, has been a club sport for Northwestern men since1973.

After a third-place finish in the Chicago Area Rugby FootballUnion Cup last fall, the NU rugby players are approaching thisseason with new vigor, despite losing Matthew Weil, the club’spresident for the last two years.

New club president Daniel McDonell said Weil “brought this clubto what it is now,” and will be hard to replace.

Still, McDonell is optimistic about the new class of scrummers,ruckers and maulers. While freshmen in the club usually are formerhigh school football players or wrestlers, McDonell said there are”two or three new guys who’ve actually played before.”

The men will play Saturday against Illinois-Chicago, which haslost 38-12 to Northern Illinois and shut out DePaul 17-0.

McDonell said Illinois-Chicago traditionally is verycompetitive, and the Wildcats will be looking to avenge a 12-0 lossthe Flames handed them last fall.

WIN, LOSE AND DRAW

The Beckhams, Ronaldos and even Ronaldinhos of the Northwesternclub soccer were on display last weekend as the men traveled toOhio and Michigan for a three-game stop.

The Wildcats emerged 1-1-1, defeating Toledo 3-0, losing toMichigan State 4-0 and tying Michigan 1-1. Senior Matthew Cozzasaid the weekend’s results are encouraging.

“The Michigan State score was higher than it should have beenbecause we broke down toward the end,” he said.

The Cats also see the draw with Michigan as a victory. Michigan,last year’s division winner, has a very successful history againstNU, dominating the Cats for as long as Cozza can remember.

Cozza, Chris Vitale and Adam Puttle were responsible for thefour goals last weekend, and Adam Sobel recorded two assists.

Cozza sees the team’s promising showing as a result of the largefreshman turnout the club enjoyed this year and the expanded rosterit is fielding.

The club is back in action this weekend, hosting the OhioBobcats at noon Saturday and the Miami Redhawks at noon Sunday atLakeside Field.

ULTIMATE GROWTH

Ultimate frisbee is a fairly new American phenomenon. In fact,its governing body is about as old as Bam Margera and TracyMcGrady.

Over the past decade, the sport’s popularity has boomed,especially among people who are athletic but not supremely skilledat one particular sport.

The women’s ultimate frisbee club doesn’t begin seriouscompetition until the spring, but the fall is an invaluable timefor recruitment and training.

“Most of us came in with no experience, or the only experiencewe had was in pickup games,” captain Megan Sweas said.

Sweas and co-captain Vanessa Fajardo coordinate practices andtrain the newcomers on everything from basic throwing and catchingto the finer points of strategy.

Though only eight years old, the ultimate frisbee club garnersgreat interest, generally getting 20 to 25 athletes vying for theseven on-field spots.

“The proliferation of the women’s game has been incredible,”Sweas said.

Reach David Morrison at [email protected].