Navy Rugby Alumni Association News
NOTES FROM RUGBY ALUMNI PRESIDENT for 2026
Bottom Line Up Front: Closing out Q1 CY26, we strengthened routine communications, executed targeted engagement efforts, and maintained positive fundraising momentum. The primary opportunity remains converting strong engagement into predictable recurring support and sustained volunteer capacity. As we roll into the summer months, attendance and engagement wane due to family commitments and travel. In August things pick back up as HALL OF FAME nominations, our ANNUAL DINNER, the FALL SEASON come into view. We need next level drivers if we want next level results. Hope to see some of you decide now is the time to step up and grab one of these gapped billets.
Where We Are Headed
Success criteria for CY26
To consider 2026 a successful year for program growth and NRAA execution, we will continue to focus on the following measurable outcomes:
Meet our minimum target of 400k per/yr OPEX
Increase the Rugby Excellence Fund (REF) 10% YOY ACTION TO YOU
Build the Coaches Fund 7% YOY ACTION TO YOU
Provide absolute clarity on our fundraising priorities
Increase our Alumni base by 5% YOY ACTION TO YOU
Nominate a clear target for each Giving event (Class Challenge, Annual Dinner, Giving TUES, etc.) ACTION TO YOU
Drive more engagement opportunities for MIDN-Alumni ACTION TO YOU
Energize more Volunteers to support NRAA ACTION TO YOU
Key execution risks that continue to constrain growth
Volunteers for key positions inside NRAA
Women Alum participation ACTION TO YOU
Interest in monthly NRAA calls ACTION TO YOU
Creating a community engagement strategy that pulls in events organized by geography to support away matches as well as galvanize our alumni base outside of Annapolis. ACTION TO YOU
Regional engagement & collaboration ACTION TO YOU
Key Metrics & Highlights
Membership count was largely flat quarter-over-quarter; retention remains strong (96%); we have stability but need to accelerate new member growth.
Email engagement remains well above typical benchmarks; strong path to convert engagement into recurring giving and volunteer participation.
Priority initiatives (Rugby House, Alumni Directory, Class Captains) are advancing and represent the clearest near-term opportunities to expand the alumni base and improve fundraising trajectory.
Management focus areas for the next quarter
100k target per quarter goal for 400K annual OPEX.
Clarity of purpose and mission for Fundraising.
Tie-in to NAAA for NRAA admin & operations.
Campaign objectives, facility capital improvements, and adding experienced capacity to men’s and women’s program staff.
Develop and invest in AD + COS + Assoc AD relationship to create support and energize interest in program.
Gapped Billets
NRAA Social Media Chair- Time: Moderate (steady) — keep a consistent weekly posting rhythm. Share alumni/program updates that support NRAA priorities and engagement. Promote events and fundraising campaigns in coordination with NRAA leads. Provide quick updates/results (reach, clicks, engagement) to NRAA leadership
NRAA Secretary- Time: Low (steady) — capture notes and send concise meeting summaries. Take minutes / key decisions / action items and distribute to the group. Keep basic records organized and accessible for continuity. Support clear communications that help Officers/committees execute NRAA work.
NRAA Fundraising Lead (Mike L stepping down)- Time: Seasonal (spikes) — heavier around major campaigns and recognition cycles. Coordinate fundraising efforts and opportunities that support NRAA goals. Organize volunteers/timelines for campaigns and donor outreach. Share simple progress updates and results to NRAA leadership/Board rhythm.
NRAA Event Chair- Time: Seasonal (spikes) — planning bursts leading into key events. Plan and execute events that strengthen alumni connection and participation. Coordinate logistics, volunteers, and run-of-show for event day execution. Partner with Comms/Social and Fundraising to promote and maximize impact.
With you & Vr, Pat
Gather up fellow Navy Ruggers in your area and attend nearby matches! Celebrate Navy victories! ALL matches will be streamed so form up watch parties at local sports bars!
Fri Sept 11: Homage to the heroes of 9-11 then Navy plays Air Force in Annapolis for the Shea Cup at 1700.
Old Breed vs Morris for the McDevitt Cup at Severn River Club at 1930. Social at Stan’s Farm after the McDevitt Cup; also honoring Jeff Nagel’s 60th!
Sat Sept 12: South Africa Springboks vs New Zealand All Blacks at 1700 in MT Banks Stadium Baltimore MD. Tailgate to follow.
Navy Rugby Boys Camp
The Navy Rugby Boys Camp is the largest boys rugby camp in the nation, emphasizing rugby as a character building program for young men and held at one of the most recognized facilities in the nation for molding young people morally, mentally and physically in the service of their country, US Naval Academy in Annapolis MD! This years camp, 13-16 July, fielded 241 young men and grossed $220,000 for the Navy Rugby program.
-2025 “With You” Dinner Message to USNA Rugby Alumni
NRAA Recognizes Mr. Chet Gladchuk, USNA Athletic Director 2001-2025, with inductuction into the Navy Rugby Hall of Fame.
Mr. Chet Gladchuk, originally from Massachusetts, lettered in football at Boston College University, graduated with honors and subsequently earned a master’s degree in sports administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Mr. Gladchuk took over as the USNA Athletic Director (AD) in 2001 after tenures as AD at Tulane, Boston College and the University of Houston. Mr. Gladchuk’s 24 year tenure at Navy took Navy sports to new heights at both the varsity and club sports levels. His many accomplishments included: adding 6 varsity sports (including rugby) bringing the total to 36 varsity sports which tied for the most at any FBS university; helped transition Navy football to the American Athletic Conference in 2015; Navy athletic dominance in the Patriot League winning 10 consecutive President’s Cup titles and consistently finishing either first or second for 17 years; dominated the N-Star rivalry with Army winning the series 21 times in 23 years. Mr. Gladchuk’s exceptional leadership and dedication to college athletics has ben nationally recognized as the recipient of the John L. Toner Award from the National Football Foundation for outstanding dedication to college athletics, and the Bobby Dodd Athletic Director of the Year Award. Through his support and partnership with the Navy Rugby Alumni Association and hiring a world class Navy Rugby coaching staff, the vision of a prominent dedicated rugby facility became a reality as the Prusmack Rugby Complex opened in 2016. Additionally, Mr. Gladchuk recognized the outstanding contributions that both the men’s and women’s Navy Rugby teams make in supporting the Naval Academy’s mission “to graduate leaders dedicated to a career of naval service with the potential for future development to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government”. Mr. Gladchuk established the framework for men’s and women’s Navy Rugby to become varsity sports and was present when Navy won the men’s 2023 National Championship in it’s first year as a varsity program!
-NRAA Legacy Leaders:
This is the first salvo of many that we hope will build a connection with our scholar warriors headed to the FLEET. Dennis Volpe ('96), Executive Performance and Transition Coach, Severn River Leadership Group, LLC, a rugger skilled in the art of executive coaching and professional development, has volunteered to lead our Legacy Leaders Program. As you may recall, we've recently established this program as a vehicle to (1) Create and sustain a connection with graduating Firsties and rising Midn to mentor and develop our rising leaders; and (2) Connect Alumni to Alumni for professional support, mentoring, and networking. Jack McAuliffe ('15) will be assisting Dennis in this endeavor. The initial moves relate to our Class of 2025 service selectees and how we'll do more to connect with them ahead of joining the FLEET.
With you & Vr, NRAA President
-Class Captains: NRAA Class Representative Program:
Greetings All - Rick "Pokey" Keller, class of 81' coordinating our Class Captain efforts as we look to take the next steps toward continued Navy Rugby Excellence. I am reaching out to men and women Navy Rugby Alumni asking for volunteers to act as the "Class Captain" for your class. We are looking for someone in each class to help rekindle the enthusiasm we all had as classmates/teammates and use that to get behind our current Navy Rugby programs. As the Class Captain you will be a conduit to your classmates amplifying messaging, helping ensure that we have as complete a roster of alumni as possible, and tailoring information to your class and their particular situations among other things. Contact me direct with questions if needed: pokey.keller@gmail.com / 256-558-0235
CLASS CAPTAIN LINK UP SUMMARY - 27 May 2025
-Highlighted the role Class Captains play in ensuring that each class roster is complete and up to date and that Class Captains are the focal point for class involvement in supporting Navy Rugby across the board (Fundraising, volunteering, general support, etc.).
-Emphasized that NRAA is for all Navy Rugby - both Men's and Women's - and a strong point for us... Mentioned plans for recognizing Women's program founding anniversary at this years HoF dinner.
-Shared NRAA Vision documents for our support to Navy Rugby and continued growth of the Alumni Association.
With you and VR, Pokey ‘81
UPDATE (4/11/2025): Still need Class Captain volunteers for the following classes/teams, Thanks!:
Men's - ‘67, ‘68, ‘72, ‘73, ‘04, ‘08,
Women's - ‘02, ‘05, ‘06, ‘12, ‘13, ‘14, ‘17, ‘22, ‘23, ‘24, ‘25
Sincere Appreciation to those that have volunteered: BEAT ARMY!
1963-Ernest Blake 1964-Ernest Blake 1965-John Fyfe 1966-Andre Simonpietri 1967- 1968- 1969-Thomas Meteer
1970-Michael Knudsen 1971-John Cherry 1972- 1973- 1974-Rusty Kollmorgen 1975-Michael Langley 1976-Frederick Yarger
1977-Jim Bethmann 1978-John Wissler 1979-Peter Long 1980-Richard Carlquist 1981-John Burke 1981-Patrick Keller
1982-Matthew Aylward 1983-Mike Coughlin 1984-Randy King 1985-Marty Migliori 1986-JT Young 1987-Joe Buenavista
1988-Bob Strong 1989-Rob Cassady 1990-Rob Garretson 1991-Christian Bonat 1992-John Tarzon 1993-Brandon Lewis
1994-Jason Hedberg 1995-Daniel Morris 1996M-Sean Donovan 1996W- Jen Goddard 1997 M-Daniel Freedman
1997W-Nikki Peoples 1998M-John Maguire 1998W-Ashley Sullivan 1999M-Pat O'Mahoney 1999W-Sarah Jansen
2000M-Devin Smiley 2000W-Lindsay Hawkins 2001M-Seth Stegmaier 2001W-Kathy Borkoski 2002M-Rob Stimis 2002W- 2003M-Ryan Curry 2003W-Aileen Kenney 2004M- 2004W-Bridget Seymour 2005M-Nick Ralston 2005W- 2006M-Mac Marrone 2006W- 2007M-Lindsay Blake 2007W-Catherine Long 2008M- 2008W-Sasha Frankhouser 2009M-Patrick Wheatley
2009W-Marianne Carlson 2010M-Kyle Millerd 2010W-Danielle Cicuto 2011M-Sean Rohrs 2011W-Jennifer Sandifer
2012M-Michael Bressler 2012W- 2013M-Matthew Kelley 2013W 2014M-Broderick Neel-Feller 2014W- 2015M-John McAuliffe 2015W-Hailey Brunette 2016M-Henry Dewing 2016W-Samantha Casey 2017M-Jake Martin 2017W- 2018M-Gardy Lebon
2018 M-Ben Johnston 2018W-Liz Pitman 2019M-Cole Euverard 2019W-Sidney Knipple 2020M-Bo Kendrick-Holmes
2020W-Robyn Roper 2021M-Dallas Elliston 2021W-Kayla Ann Eshleman 2022M-Eddie Howell 2022W- 2023M-Connor Bradisch 2023W- 2024M-James Downing 2024W- 2025M-Ryan Hotaling 2025W-
-US Naval Academy Letter Winners Association: Honoring all varsity and club athletes:
If you played A or B side rugby before USNA issued letters/sweaters or need a replacement here is the link to the Navy Lettermen's Association to obtain one. The Letter Winners Association is working hard to finalize our rosters but needs input from the class captains in some cases. From the website:
Lost or Damaged Letter Sweater? No Problem!
The Navy Letterwinners Association is happy to offer a letter sweater replacement program for verified letterwinners. For more information, visit our letter sweater page on our website at the link below.
Be ready to show off your letter sweater at your next alumni gathering!
-A great podcast interview with Coach Gavin Hickie, Director of Navy Rugby, covering rugby life at Navy, the legacy of the program, training techniques, and the road ahead!
NAVY RUGBY 2026-2027
Men’s Rugby:
Aug 29 (Sat) 11:00 a.m. Home St. Bonaventure Annapolis, Md. (Prusmack Rugby Center) W 50-0 "You can't ask for a whole lot more," director of rugby Gavin Hickie said. "We didn't concede any points, our discipline was very good and we scored 50 points. For what we were trying to achieve in our first game, it couldn't have gone any better from a purely score line perspective. Obviously, there's lots of work going on within that game, but a 50-0 season opener against a very good St. Bonaventure team, we're happy with that."
Sep 5 (Sat) 11:00 a.m. Home Potomac Exiles Rugby Club Annapolis, Md. (Prusmack Rugby Center) Sep 11 (Fri) 5:00 p.m. Home Air Force Annapolis, Md. (Prusmack Rugby Center)
Sep 19 (Sat) Noon Away Mary Washington Fredericksburg, VA
Sep 26 (Sat) 11:00 a.m. Home Army Annapolis, Md. (Prusmack Rugby Center)
Oct 3 (Sat) 11:00 a.m. Home Southern Virginia Annapolis, Md. (Prusmack Rugby Center)
Oct 10 (Sat) 1:00 p.m. Away Life University Marietta, GA
Oct 17 (Sat) 1:00 p.m. Away Mount St. Mary's (Md.) Emmitsburg, MD
Oct 24 (Sat) 11:00 a.m. Home Saint Mary's (CA) Annapolis, Md. (Prusmack Rugby Center)
Oct 31 (Sat) 1:00 p.m. Home Penn State Annapolis, Md. (Prusmack Rugby Center)
Sep 5 (Sat) 11:00 a.m. Away Brown Providence, RI
Sep 19 (Sat) 11:00 a.m. Away AIC Springfield, MA
Sep 25 (Fri) 1:00 p.m. Home Lindenwood Annapolis, Md. (Prusmack Rugby Center)
Oct 10 (Sat) 1:00 p.m. Away Harvard Cambridge, MA
Oct 24 (Sat) 1:00 p.m. Home Queens Annapolis, Md. (Prusmack Rugby Center)
Oct 31 (Sat) 11:00 a.m. Home Army Annapolis, Md. (Prusmack Rugby Center)
Women’s Rugby:
Navy Rugby National Powers
(Reference: Wikipedia-
Men’s National Invitational Tournament (1972-1979) : 1972 2nd
Men’s USA Rugby D1A National Collegiate Championship Tournament (4 team final bracket) : 1980 4th; 1983 3rd; 1994 2nd; 1996 4th; 1998 3rd; 1999 3rd; 2001 3rd; 2004 3rd; 2005 3rd; 2007 3rd; 2023 1st; 2024 2nd, 2026 2nd
Women’s USA Rugby Div 1 Club National Collegiate Championship Tournament: 2019 (fall) 2nd; 2022 (fall) 1st ; 2023 (fall) 1st
This is now the Navy Rugby Alumni Association website.
Rugby players interested in attending the Naval Academy and playing varsity rugby, please visit the Naval Academy Athletics websites below for detailed team, schedule and recruit information.
THANK YOU TO OUR VARSITY PROGRAM DONORS!
In special recognition of those donors who supported the final varsity rugby campaign between August 1st, 2021 and March 15th, 2022. Click the DONOR button to view the individuals that supported this effort.