This past Saturday we hosted our annual banquet at Fox Ridge Country Club in Dike, Iowa and we celebrated the achievements of our team and the dedication of the players on it. We handed out awards for MVP Newbie (Back and Forward), Most Improved (Back and Forward), MVP (Back and Forward), and the James Shelton Award. The players were nominated back in November at our end of the year meeting and voting took place immediately after nomination via secret ballot.
And the winners are...
MVP Newbie Back - Ashton Johnson
MVP Newbie Forward - Justin Clarke
Most Improved Back - Ryan Muller
Most Improved Forward - Justin Clarke
MVP Back - Christopher Ridgway
MVP Forward - Eric Pingel
James Shelton - Christopher Ridgway
We applaud these fine men and thank Awards, Gifts, and Engraving of Waterloo for making the plaques possible. While these men were specifically celebrated by their peers, no one went home empty handed. Each player received a personalized award that spoke to their commitment to the team as a whole.
The banquet was full of delicious food, funny stories, great refreshments, beautiful dates, even more beautiful players, some iconic rugby songs, and a whole bunch of memories that will last a lifetime. At UNI Men's Rugby we are more than just a team, we are a family, and Saturday night was a great example of that. We can't wait until next year! Thanks again to Fox Ridge, Dolly's Party Bus, and Awards, Gifts, and Engraving!
Cheers,
UNI Men's Rugby