Nathaniel Lauzon | Staff Writer | nlauzon@mail.smcvt.edu
As the weather warms on campus, students ditch their winter boots and replace them with cleats and sneakers as they hit the sports fields.
For many students, this will be in the form of an NCAA varsity sport. At St. Michael’s, the student body is made up of approximately 1,100 students. According to the St. Michael’s athletics website, of those students, 30 percent of them are NCAA varsity athletes. These athletes are brought into an environment that works to “foster the development of teamwork and cooperation as well as competitiveness, and promote the expectation of good sporting behavior.”
Photo by Emma MacDonald
But there is a whole other group of students taking to the fields this spring as a part of intramural or club sports, which are open to all.
For the students who do not play for NCAA varsity teams, intramural and club sports offer a variety of opportunities for them to receive similar benefits as varsity athletes. Kerri Leach, associate dean of students and director of student activities spoke on these benefits in an interview with The Defender.
“I think just recreation in general is so important to be healthy, to have an outlet for maybe a little bit of competitive nature, right?” Leach said. “Like a lot of kids who played sports all through high school come to college and they don’t play collegiately, but that was their life too. And you really do need that outlet. You need a stress relief from studying and it gives people something to do,” Leach said.
The 2025 spring semester has three upcoming athletic intramural and club sports that students can get involved with. Co-Ed Ultimate Frisbee, Women’s+ Rugby, and Men’s Rugby are all preparing to begin their seasons in the coming weeks.
Ultimate frisbee is a growing sport on campus that sees more and more engagement every year. Captains Colin Shanley ’27 and Alec Campbell ’27 stated that they are hopeful for the season to begin the week after spring break, depending on weather and field conditions. Once the season starts, practices will take place Monday through Friday at 4 p.m. on the 300s field.
The Ultimate Frisbee team is always looking for new members of any skill level to join them in the spring or fall seasons. When asked how students could get involved, Campbell said, “The best way is to just show up, meet the captains, and get to know some of the players.”
Shanley also stressed how frisbee can be a great way to get involved at St. Michael’s. “You get a family on campus and you meet so many new people,” Shanley said.
Updates on dates and practices can be found on Instagram
@smc.purpleniteultimate
The Women’s+ rugby team is also hopeful for a very successful season this spring.
Captain Nicole Abrajan ’26 made the point that the Women’s+ Rugby team is always open to new members. “People can get involved by honestly just showing up to practices,” she said.
Once the season starts, they will be practicing on the 300s field on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
at 5 p.m.
Women’s+ Rugby, like other intramural and club sports, is open to anyone who wishes to join. “One of my hopes is just to become closer to my team and bring in other people as well, me and my co-captain just want to provide an atmosphere where everybody is included,” Abrajan explained when asked what she is hoping Women’s+ Rugby will achieve in the spring.
Students can get in contact with the Women’s+ rugby team by contacting their Instagram account
@smcrfcwomen.
The St. Michael’s Men’s Rugby team is over 50 years old, making it one of the oldest clubs on campus according to Leach. This spring, they are looking for new members to join the
club’s history.
Men’s Rugby captain Luke Bartley ’27 spoke to The Defender about the importance of getting involved in an intramural or club sport, like rugby. “It gives you structure and something to do without the commitment of a varsity sport,” Bartley said.
Former Men’s Rugby captain Will Gianni ’25 emphasized the team’s openness to all skill levels, even to those that have no prior rugby experience. “There’s nothing I like more than a new person coming in and teaching them how to play,” Gianni said.
The Men’s Rugby season officially begins the week after spring break. Once the season is in full swing, they will be practicing on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 5 p.m. on the 300s field.
For more information, students can reach out to @smc_rfc on Instagram.
There is also currently an ongoing intramural basketball league that began on Feb. 23 and will go on until April 30. This intramural was brought back after it had positive outcomes the last time it was held. Kerri Leach said it was a “huge success last year.”
Men’s Rugby, Women’s+ Rugby, and Ultimate Frisbee all offer ways for students to stay active without the commitment of a varsity sport at the NCAA level. Students of all backgrounds and skill levels can get involved with these sports as the campus begins to get greener and the sun stays out longer during the spring.
As for the future of intramural and club sports, Kerri Leach said she hopes more sports will be added in the coming semesters. “I’d really like to bring in pickleball, I think soccer would be great, and flag football as well.”