Athelete of the Week

Jimmy McCumber Staff Writer

Dominating both offensively and defensively this year, Garrett King ’08 has been a key player on the men’s rugby team. The team’s spring season is off to a great start, having won five games in a row after opening the year with two losses to top British teams over spring break.
With 40 points, King is the third-highest scorer, and has eight tries, second on the team only to vice-captain Matt Tracey ’07. Vassar is 5-2 this fall and 9-6 overall, including a 7-0 record at home, which will be put to the test in the team’s last home game against Williams on April 29.

King plays the number eight position for the team, a link between forwards and backs, where he has had an impact in both scoring and tackling. King’s success is particularly impressive because he is a newcomer to the sport, having never played before last year.

“I had never seen a rugby game before [coming to] Vassar,” said King. King participated during the fall of his freshman season on B-side before making the jump to A-side in the spring. Just a year later, he is starting as one of the team’s most integral players.

This improvement can be traced back to last summer. King went to Northern Virginia and played on a seven-side team, facing competition from several Division I schools.

“This experience not only meant that [King] stayed in shape, but he learned more about the sport of rugby, and developed a lot of confidence,” said rugby Head Coach Tony Brown. “For me, the biggest area of growth for this excellent athlete is his understanding of the sport. He does not hesitate or second-guess himself.”

“[King] not only has great quickness, but he is absolutely fearless,” continued Brown. “He has scored eight tries so far this year, but his biggest contributions have been in defense. He rarely misses a tackle and is tireless getting around the field. He is a pleasure to coach, as is the entire men’s squad.”

Captain Tom Weishaupt ’07 noted that in taking the flanker and number eight positions, King had “big shoes to fill,” which were left open by players who had graduated.
“[King] gives a lot to the team,” said Weishaupt. “He does a lot of things, tackles well. He’s everything you want in an eight-man.”

King has high hopes for the squad, who are currently undefeated stateside. “We are only losing two A-side players next year,” said King. “We are going to have our best team in years and we think we can compete for the Division II national title next fall.”