Men's rugby won the Cup title at the 69^th Annual St. Louis Gateway Ruggerfest Tournament April 1-2. 

The Lions posted a 26-0 victory over Clinton Muddy River to begin their competition at the event, and then defeated the St. Louis Royals 24-14.  In the semifinals, Lindenwood stopped the St. Louis Ramblers 45-12 and took the championship in a rematch with the Royals 21-5 in the finals. 

Head Coach Josh Macy noted some standouts for the weekend.

"The backline combo of Jack Desmond, Josh Wells, Joe Livesey, and Nick Taylor was very dangerous for opposing teams," he said.  "Despite the smaller field, they kept our game nice and wide and really worked the defense.  Nolan Pye captained our forwards while Gabriel Rendon and Josh Perry did a great job securing our ball in the lineout.  Ahmad Brooks and Matias Kalm were pests on defense and very savvy on the attack."

Macy went on to complement his coaching staff.

"Our side was mainly coached by former player Ty Turner.  He did a great job of reigning in the guys and organizing while giving them correction and encouragement needed through a long tournament."

The St. Louis Gateway Ruggerfest Tournament, the longest running American rugby event, was played at Buder Park in Valley Park, Missouri for the first time after spending eight years a Creve Coeur Park in Creve Coeur.

The wins propelled the Lions to 35-10-2 overall.  Lindenwood wraps up play in the Mid-South Conference with a road match against Davenport April 8.  The opening kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon in Grand Rapids, Michigan.