The AIC Men’s Rugby team will be preparing for sevens season, hoping to continue their success they had last year when they were playing on national television. The Yellow Jackets are a very successful program when it comes to rugby but they tend to be more dominant on the sevens side of the game.

Last semester the Men’s Rugby team didn’t have a successful season as predicted. With one of the biggest upsets coming from a loss to Fordham University in the bowl game, the whole team was disappointed with the result but vowed to make amends.

In the game of sevens, the Yellow Jackets are very competitive when it comes to selections for tournaments around the country. Players on the team look at it as a great deal to be selected for tournaments around the country.

For some guys, this will be their last semester playing for AIC. Speedster Jihad Khabir will be looking to continue his scoring rate for the team as he prepares for the upcoming tournaments.

“We now have the guys that didn’t have the chance to play last semester because of grades so the team is going to be stronger,” Khabir said.

With the likes of Christian Adams, Royall Jones and Lui Sitama coming back into the squad, AIC should have a very successful year in Sevens.

Last year the Yellow Jackets were involved in the CRC, which was broadcast on NBC. Some of the players that were involved in that competition are aiming to participate in that tournament this year.

Junior Michele Magistrali, was one of the players involved last year.

“It was an awesome feeling to be a part of this tournament, playing in a big stadium in front of hundreds of people,” Magistrali said, adding, “the goal is defiantly to be invited to the CRCs this year.”

Every year in the winter New England is always hit with a high quantity of snow, which can impact practice schedules for teams. Whether it’s practicing in the snow or inside the gym, the rugby team will aim to achieve their goals for the upcoming season.

Sophomore Christian Ortega stated, “the location of our practice doesn’t affect how we train, we have guys on the team that are used to this weather because they have been here for a couple of years.”

The sevens season will start in March, so this will give the team a lot of time to work on their skills and fitness which will help them book a ticket to the CRCs in June.