“Let’s make history together.” Those words are from Youngstown State University (YSU) women’s rugby head coach Jeff Horton, a call-out to potential players. Their program is new, the women who participate in the upcoming season will be the first YSU women’s rugby players and the university couldn’t be more supportive.

Youngstown hired a veteran coach and while the program is not yet varsity, YSU offers scholarship opportunities to players. University President Jim Tressel…yes, THAT Jim Tressel…2002 National Championship winning head coach with Ohio State, was instrumental in helping establish the club but the hard work was done by club director Tessa Padilla and Youngstown Steel Valley Club Founder Renee Whittenberger.

I had the opportunity to interview new head coach Jeff Horton about the program, the scholarships, and starting a women’s collegiate rugby program.

Jason Graves (JG): Coach Horton, tell us a bit about the Youngstown State University rugby program.

Jeff Horton (JH): Hey Jason! First and foremost, I want to thank you for taking the time to inquire about our program. We appreciate your efforts to promote the game we love and aiding in the development process of the sport across the country.

Youngstown State (YSU) is the newest collegiate women’s rugby program to hit the Ohio scene. In the fall of 2016, President Jim Tressel collaborated with the newly appointed Club Sports Director, Tessa Padilla, about implementing a women’s rugby program at the University. Seeing the value of the opportunity to add the fastest growing sport in America, the University moved forward with the addition of women’s rugby this past spring (2017).

While the team falls under the club sports umbrella, YSU has been more than accommodating to the team’s needs and is willing to provide resources that many other programs fail to receive from their institutions.

We will be actively recruiting athletes both on and off of the campus throughout the upcoming school year. The team plans to enter competitive XVs play in the fall of 2018 as a member of the D2 Allegheny Rugby Union.

JG: Renee Whittenberger, what has she meant to YSU women’s rugby?

JH: Renee has been a great asset to the program. After being part of the women’s rugby scene in Ohio for a number of years, she decided to depart from her home club and build a senior women’s team in Youngstown; now known as Youngstown Steel Valley. Tessa Padilla initially reached out to Renee to oversee the women’s rugby team at YSU and with the program’s best interests in mind, she utilized her rugby contacts to ensure the program reached its fullest potential.

Knowing that I had recently announced my resignation as director of rugby and head women’s rugby coach at Kent State University, Renee approached me with the opportunity to coach at YSU and we immediately hit the ground running.

While Renee does not hold an official position within our program, she and I still communicate quite often about the direction we are looking to go and how we can establish a healthy relationship between YSU and Youngstown Steel Valley in the years to come.

JG: Ohio is a hotbed of rugby lately and you’re breaking new ground at YSU; what do you think this means to women’s rugby in Ohio and the country?

JH: We are fortunate to have some great rugby in Ohio ranging from the youth to the senior ranks. Our goal at YSU is to maximize on the opportunity we have been given and create ample opportunities for not only traditional rugby players, but crossover athletes as well. We want to do our part to establish a program ‘the right way’ and focus on creating a positive, results-driven culture for our athletes to thrive in. With the ongoing support of the university, we are hoping to create a model that many colleges can look to implement when considering the addition of women’s rugby.

JG: I see you offer scholarship opportunities; what kind of scholarship opportunities do you provide?

JH: One of the resources given to our program by the university is the ability to offer scholarship. These scholarships are made available to eligible student-athletes and are valued at $2,000. Considering YSU is already one of the most affordable institutions in Ohio, $2,000 can go quite a long way. These scholarships may be applied to on-campus living expenses, such as dormitories and apartment-like housing.

While we may not provide the largest scholarship dollars for rugby, it is all about perception. Our goal is to get in-state (and those who qualify for the Affordable Tuition Advantage*) recruits into YSU with tuition, room, and board for under $10,000 per year.

(*The Affordable Tuition Advantage rate (In-state tuition + $240 surcharge) is offered to students from the following counties: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango, Warren, Washington and Westmoreland counties in Pennsylvania; Chautauqua County in New York; and Brooke, Hancock, Marshall and Ohio counties in West Virginia.)

JG: What is your recruiting strategy?

JH: Our strategy is to promote the value of the opportunity we are providing at YSU. We are extremely committed to the idea of positive growth and development of the student-athlete both on and off of the pitch. Being a state school, we offer a wide-array of programs that cater to the vast majority of students desired career paths. From a rugby standpoint, we are doing our part to provide the student-athletes with high-level coaching, exceptional training facilities, and various other resources to satisfy their competitive desires.

JG: Are you targeting a specific geographic area?

JH: While we do not believe in limiting our recruiting efforts to one particular area, we have spent our initial efforts focusing on recruiting athletes from Ohio and counties that qualify for the Affordable Tuition Advantage rate. We want to establish a solid foundation to further prove our value before branching out too far. However, with that being said, we have been in contact with various programs across the United States and even Canada.

JG: Do you have any ideas on how to bridge the country’s size gap in regard to recruiting considering just how large the U.S. is?

JH: Social media has been a phenomenal resource to connect athletes and programs from all across the country. Online media resources that specialize in rugby have also done wonders for recruiting. In addition, a few websites (such as RuckOverU.com) have started to pop up and these sites specialize in connecting athletes to rugby programs based on a variety of criteria desired by both parties.

JG: How’s your relationship with the local rugby community?

JH: I may be a little biased, but I like to think I have an extremely strong relationship with the local rugby community. In 2001, I began my rugby career at Hudson High School (Hudson, OH) and have been active in the local scene ever since. During my time as the head women’s rugby coach at Kent State University, our program made it a point to go out and work with local programs and attend their matches as often as possible. If there is one message preach to my players, it is the same message that was preached to me as a young rugger: “Always give back to the game that has given you so much.”

JG: What is the rugby environment like in the YSU area?

JH: In a competitive sense, the sport of rugby has struggled to thrive in the greater Youngstown area for quite some time. However, I think we are in a phenomenal position at YSU to utilize our resources and help create a pathway for success at not only the senior level, but the youth level as well.

JG: So tell us a bit about who you are, what is your rugby background?

JH: As aforementioned, I began playing rugby at Hudson High School (Hudson, OH) in 2001. After high school, I played a few seasons of select side rugby, but my competitive playing career was limited due to a few nagging injuries.

In 2009, I was approached with the opportunity to coach the Kent State University women’s rugby team and I was fortunate enough to hold that position for eight years; being appointed director of rugby at Kent State University in 2015.

Currently, I am the head coach for the U24 and senior All-Ohio select sides and I have also served as an assistant coach for the U24 Midwest Thunderbirds since 2016.

In addition to coaching, I have been a member of the USA Rugby Women’s National Team management pool since 2016 as well.

JG: What drew you to the game?

JH: The camaraderie in this sport is second to none. No matter what happens on the pitch, we are all family as soon as the final whistle blows.

JG: Do you have a specific attack philosophy?

JH: My attack philosophy is quite simple: Be patient, play a methodical game of rugby, and take advantage of the opportunities that are given to you.

While that approach may seem relatively rudimentary, the overall game plan and execution of that philosophy is directly dependent on the players fielding the squad at any given time.

JG: What is your preferred style of defense?

JH: On defense, I think it is important for a team to be able to adapt to the situation at hand. A team should be able to identify when it is appropriate to be aggressive and apply heavy pressure or when it is necessary to be a bit more conservative and make the more efficient play. However, as a player, I always enjoyed the opportunity to be aggressive and attack from the outside-in on a blitz.

JG: What are your inaugural expectations beyond fielding a squad?

JH: Beyond fielding a squad, I am expecting to establish a culture that will promote positive growth and success for years to come. To me, success goes beyond wins, losses, and accolades; I define success as something that you can hold close to the vest and be proud of well after your playing days are over. If our student-athletes can take their experiences from our program and use them to create positive experiences for others, I think it is safe to say we will have achieved our ultimate outcome goal.

JG: What would you tell any potential coaches out there?

JH: I would tell those looking to get involved with coaching rugby, or any sport for that matter, that you need to be willing to learn and adapt each and every day. Not only is the game continuously evolving, but so are the athletes making the effort to play. If a time ever comes in which you feel as though you know all there is to know about the sport, that is the day you need to retire, because that is the day you have lost control and will quickly fall behind.

JG: Is the fall schedule out yet or do you have a release date?

JH: The fall schedule is currently being established by the Allegheny Rugby Union. However, we will not begin active competition until fall of 2018. The current plan is to schedule a handful of NSCRO teams within the area and use those as development opportunities for not only our players, but their players as well.

JG: If you could do anything to make a change for women’s rugby in the U.S. what would it be?

JH: I am a firm believer that the sport of rugby in America will only go as far as the women are willing to take it. I am challenging my peers to embrace this concept, put the egos aside, and ‘do the right thing’ by creating equality among their men’s and women’s programs. During my time as director of rugby at Kent State University, I put this theory to the test. Two years ago, the men’s team was hard-pressed for numbers and struggled to find any sort of on-field success. Fast-forward to present time and after embracing the accomplishments of the women’s program. Both programs made the conscious effort to work as one cohesive unit, rather than two separate entities, and now both programs are currently reaping the benefits equally, quickly realizing that we truly are stronger as one.

JG: Finally Coach Horton, anything else you’d like people to know about YSU Women’s Rugby?

JH: I would encourage any athlete that is interested in playing rugby at the collegiate level to do their research on not just the school’s rugby program, but what they have to offer academically as well; at the end of the day, we are students first and athletes second.

I am more than willing to answer any and all questions about our program via email at ysuwomensrugby@gmail.com and be sure to follow us on all social media outlets @YSUWomensRugby.

I look forward to welcoming our inaugural recruiting class come fall of 2018! Let’s make history together.

-By Jason Graves