Palmer College of Chiropractic’s men’s rugby team takes 3rd in national championship

June 10, 2012 — The Palmer College of Chiropractic Rugby Football Club earned its second straight third-place finish in the USA Rugby Men’s Division 1 Club National Championship in Glendale, Colo., June 2-3.

Palmer lost 34-10 to last year’s champion Glendale in Saturday’s semi-final game, then went on to defeat Metropolis 50-37 to take third place on Sunday, June 3. This was the team’s third consecutive trip to the national championship tournament.

The Palmer team, coached by current Palmer student Luke Stringer, from England, earned its spot in the championship May 12-13 in Pittsburgh, Pa., by defeating the Norfolk Blues 57-10 on Saturday and then beating the former Super League team the Chicago Lions in a thrilling 19-15 game on Sunday.

The Palmer men’s rugby team finished fourth in the USA Rugby Men’s Division 1 championship in 2010 and third in 2011. A core group of eight players played on all three final four teams: Mike Junk, Ryan Duklas, Jared Morrison, Brad Keys, Christian Price, Tyler Copenhaver, Jim Fitzgerald, and Lionel Bassett.

Source: Palmer College of Chiropractic, palmer.edu