CHARLOTTE, N.C. - For the next week during Investing In Champions, Queens Athletics is asking Royals fans, alumni, and families to invest directly in the programs and student-athletes building this community — and for Men's Rugby, that support has a track record of delivering.
"You can't expect these guys to be professionals if you don't treat them like professionals, and that takes resources," says Head Coach Tyree Reed. "Donor support is what lets us hold them to the standard that travel and competition actually demand — proper equipment, proper preparation, the little details that separate a program that's serious from one that isn't. Every gift is a direct investment in treating these guys the way they need to be treated to grow into who we're asking them to become."
That support showed up directly last year when a gift helped send the team to the National Championship. This past summer, the program turned around and ran its own youth and high school camp for ages 6 to 18 — investment in the team becoming investment in the community around it.
Emile van Dyk '28 feels what that community means every time he takes the pitch. "Competing for Queens means representing a community that has played an important role in my growth as a student and athlete," he says. "As a South African student, Queens has given me the opportunity to build strong relationships with people from many different backgrounds while pursuing my academic and professional goals." Being part of the program, he adds, has made him more mature, organized, and confident.
Leone Mattoli feels that same investment in who he's becoming, not just how he plays. "I believe that this experience has prepared me for anything that life will have for me after college," he says. "I have already seen firsthand how the morals that the coaching staff have implemented into us can apply into the workforce through professional internships." Looking back on this chapter someday, he says he'll remember it as a time he got to learn more about himself — who he is and the man he wanted to become.
With a program goal of $20,000 for the year, donor support will empower Men's Rugby teammates while paving the way for another championship run. View progress and make a gift on the team's giving page.
Investing In Champions is October 2-9, 2026. Unlock Royals Club benefits with gifts of $100 or more. For questions or information on issuing your own challenge, please reach out to Danielle Evans-Clan, director of athletics advancement, at evanscland@queens.edu.
