El Paso RFC in 14-5 Victory over Pygmies
By Dave Wheelock
Moral victory can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it lends encouragement in the face of defeat. Coming close can also become a habit, though, which condemns a sporting team to always finishing second. New Mexico Tech's rugby Pygmies could have celebrated their courageous performance following Saturday's (Feb. 19, 2005) hard-fought 14-5 home loss to the El Paso Scorpions, but the lads were having none of that. View Entire Article »
Tech Ruggers Spank Brujos 31-12
By Dave Wheelock
The New Mexico Tech Rugby Club got back on the winning track in Albuquerque, on Saturday, Feb. 26, by beating the Brujos Rugby Club 31-12. View Entire Article »
Ruggers overwhelm Colorado Visitors, 85-10
By Dave Wheelock
The anticipated rugby fireworks ended up coming mostly from one end of the field on Saturday, March 5, as New Mexico Tech's Pygmies obliterated an undermanned Western State College team 85-10. View Entire Article »
Pygmies Tune Up for Home Tournament with 46-14 Victory
By NMT
The New Mexico Tech Rugby Club prepared Saturday for the Socorro Club and Collegiate Challenge tournament April 2nd with a convincing 46-14 win in Albuqueruqe over the Brujos Rugby Club. Showing few signs of their two-week hiatus due to midterm exams and spring break, the Pygmies used efficient lineout play and superior team speed to overcame some shaky passing and a shell-shocked home team. View Entire Article »
Pygmies Win Two, Lose One in Socorro Challenge
By Dave Wheelock
New Mexico Tech's student ruggers did themselves proud Saturday at their own Socorro Club and Collegiate Rugby Challenge. The Pygmies hosted five teams from throughout the Rio Grande Rugby Union and won two of their three matches. View Entire Article »
Coach's home club crushes Tech's rugby dream
By Dave Wheelock
A shiver of excitement swept over me as the respective chorus of voices rang out from each team's pre-match huddle. The occasion was the first full-on contest in over six years between the two rugby clubs with whom I have passed a total of over 20 years, the Santa Fe Rugby Football Club and the New Mexico Tech RFC. View Entire Article »
NMT Ruggers Avoid Summer Blues
By Dave Wheelock
As the last rugby match of the year, Saturday's (April 30, 2005) home fixture with New Mexico State University presented special significance. Besides the age-old American mandate to "beat State," it was a chance for our New Mexico Tech Pygmies to show their fans what kind of rugby team they'd become since last August 24. View Entire Article »
Miners Regroup for Fall 05 Season
By Coach Paul Fuierer
The NMT Miners returned to Socorro a few days early to prepare for their fall soccer season. They had just two running practices prior to the first scrimmage game against the SHS Varsity team last Sunday night at Warrior stadium. View Entire Article »
Soccer Miners Win Season Opener
By Coach Paul Fuierer
The NMT Men's soccer team opened strong with a win over New Mexico Highlands University on Sunday, August 28. View Entire Article »
Tech Ruggers Repeat as Santa Fe Champions
By Dave Wheelock
The New Mexico Tech Rugby Club successfully defended their 2004 collegiate championship Sunday in the 33rd annual Santa Fe Tens tournament. The Pygmies? "white" team outlasted New Mexico State University's Chiles 12-7 in a thrilling late afternoon collegiate final to complete a perfect day's record of 3 wins and no losses. View Entire Article »
Holy Santos! Tech Ruggers Fall
By Dave Wheelock
The Santos of the Santa Fe Rugby Club rode into Socorro Saturday with hardly a man to spare, but attended to business and emerged victorious against a New Mexico Tech team which, if anything, had the opposite challenge. In the end it was the advantage of playing experience and the brilliance of flyhalf wizard Cory Micander which condemned the Pygmies to a 41-12 loss. View Entire Article »
Pygmies Trampled in Las Cruces
By Dave Wheelock
This was one we were probably better off losing. Though at the end of Saturday's rugby match in Las Cruces I was smarting over our 19-17 loss to New Mexico State University's Chiles, my major concern was the way our New Mexico Tech team had lost. Sure, if we had made different decisions on a couple of penalty plays in the second half, we probably would have won on the scoreboard. But experience tells me stealing such a win after being so clearly outplayed would also have imparted a false sense of satisfaction about our playing form that would be hard to overcome. View Entire Article »
Tech Ruggers Maintain Dominance in Arizona Tournament
By Dave Wheelock
Picking on guys their own size seems to make a difference for the New Mexico Tech Rugby Pygmies. The club successfully defended their 2004 championship mantle in Flagstaff at the 25th annual Northern Arizona Tens Tournament. Tech won all five of their matches over two days in the small college division of the 37-team tournament, including a resounding 20-0 defeat of a team from Arizona State University in the championship final. View Entire Article »
Pygmies Secure First Win over El Paso
By Dave Wheelock
In the week leading up to last Saturday's match with El Paso's Scorpions Rugby Club, it seemed prudent to keep things in perspective while aiming to maintain momentum. I didn't really expect the positive 38-12 result we eventually earned. View Entire Article »
Black-and-Blue Rugby Match Coming Friday
By Dave Wheelock
All bets are off this Friday evening as the New Mexico Tech Rugby Football Club host their predecessors in the annual Black & Blue Alumni Classic. The Pygmies "A" team, idle last weekend, have compiled a ten win, two loss record this fall, but the Pygmies' record against their "Ancestors" shows only one victory in recent years, a 29-22 comeback nail-biter in 2004. Before that bit of sweetness for the students, the Ancestors had won the preceding five reunion matches by an average score of 67 to 14. View Entire Article »
Alumni Ruggers Take Students to School
By a Casual, yet Knowledgeable, Observer
New Mexico Tech's rugby alumni team, the Ancestors, set their world right Friday evening by reclaiming bragging rights over the student team with a 24-19 victory. It was a gutsy performance by the hastily-assembled team of veterans which showed their determination to avenge last year's 29-22 loss, a rarity in this series going back to the 1970s. The match features each year as a popular feature of New Mexico Tech's 49ers celebration. View Entire Article »
Rugby Loss Signals Coming Changes
By Dave Wheelock
Although Saturday's 39-10, season-ending loss to the Vatos Rugby Club in Las Vegas, New Mexico was a bitter enough pill to swallow, the real pain came well after the final whistle. That's when hooker Chad Arnold, a second-year man with loads of rugby before him, broke the news to me that he won't be returning for next spring's rugby season. I further learned Monday morning that Steve Huelskamp, like Chad, is departing New Mexico Tech to join the nursing program at the University of New Mexico next semester. While wishing them the best of luck with their futures, these announced departures remind me of the dramatic changes we'll soon be seeing in the rugby program at New Mexico Tech. View Entire Article »
NMT Rugby Club Announces Third Overseas Tour
By Dave Wheelock
The New Mexico Tech Rugby Club announces its third overseas playing tour March 11 through 19, 2006. The tour will coincide with spring break and the destination is England. The Pygmies toured the British principality of Wales in 1998 and Ireland in 2002. View Entire Article »
NMT Rugby Club Selects MVP for 2005
By NMT
Members of the New Mexico Tech Rugby Club recognized some of their outstanding players for the fall 2005 season at a recent team dinner. Chosen most valuable backline player was junior pre-med student Seth Daly, who began playing rugby at Los Alamos High School. Freshman Matt Kretz, a Rio Rancho High School grad, captured "Rising Star" honors as outstanding new player. View Entire Article »
Regional Soccer Successes and Struggles
By Coach Paul Fuierer
University of New Mexico Lobos reach the final game in the NCAA Division I men's championship tournament! Ft. Lewis College Skyhawks win the NCAA D-II national championship! New Mexico Tech Miners win the NIRSA collegiate club soccer national championship! Well?two out of three ain't bad. View Entire Article »
