This May is Senior Appreciation Month; this is the final installment in a series of articles recognizing the players that are leaving our program. We’ve already thanked three exchange students and six seniors. In this article, we recognize the final seven seniors.
I joined the team during welcome week last fall. As soon as I stepped onto the field, the older guys took me under their wing. Tanner Visco drove me from freshman convocation straight to practice. Tanner Hoag gave me a pair of cleats, and Niko Kyriacou helped me practice lineout throws. Jamie Demers even gave me a Halloween costume!
These guys are the best role models I could have asked for. There are 16 guys leaving the team, and I’m going to miss all 16 of them so much. I know every other player feels the same way. Without further ado, let’s begin.
Tanner Hoag
Tanner Hoag joined the rugby team at the start of his sophomore year. He played lock and flanker. Tall and lanky, Tanner had the ideal physique to be a lineout jumper, and he didn’t disappoint. After progressing through the ranks, he was a starter the past two falls. Tanner is graduating with a degree in biomolecular science.
Here’s Tanner receiving a lineout against Minnesota in 2019. The Golden Gophers didn’t stand a chance:
Lucas Dean
Lucas Dean played wing and fullback for Michigan. He scored a few tries and made a few tackles every year, and by his junior and senior year he earned some starts for the top side. In September of last year, Lucas ran a 4:40 bronco (1200m shuttle test), a time that only two other Michigan players were able to beat last season.
Lucas is graduating with a degree in history, and he also minored in English and political science. This summer, he will join Quicken Loans’ Loan Closing Department.
Check out Lucas’s try against Central Michigan in 2019:
Mahmoud ElNaggar
Mahmoud ElNaggar spent four years as a lock for the Wolverines. The Egyptian was known for his physicality on the field. Off the field, he was a diligent officer for the club. Mahmoud served as UMRFC’s Chief Financial Officer in 2018, and when he took over, the team’s finances were extremely disorganized. Mahmoud righted the ship, and his fellow officers were so impressed that he was elected President for 2019. Mahmoud expertly guided the team through a coaching change before the 2019 fall season.
Mahmoud was a member of the championship-winning Sues intrasquads team in 2020. He powered his way in for this try against Canham in Round 2:
Sam Glasberg
Sam Glasberg joined UMRFC shortly after arriving at Michigan his freshman year. He played loose forward, and collected a series of starts in 2019. Notably, Sam scored the game-tying try late in the second half against Michigan State last November, helping the Wolverines win. Sam is graduating with a double-major in history and political science.
Watch Sam evade a tackle and rumble down the sideline in the 2020 intrasquad tournament:
Nate Orlowski
Nate Orlowski was one of the best high school players in the state when he joined Michigan Rugby in 2016. A flanker with great speed, Nate made his way into the starting lineup for every game last fall. For his hard work, he was named the club’s Most Improved Player for Fall 2019. Nate never served as an officer, but he did create the team’s Wikipedia page. Great work!
Nate majored in PPE (philosophy, politics, and economics) and minored in mathematics. He’s using his diverse skillset to become an actuary after college. Nate is also getting married!
Here, Nate blazes past defenders for an intrasquads try:
Tanner Visco
In high school, Tanner Visco already knew that he wanted to play rugby at Michigan. A fly half, fullback, and wing, he immediately impressed, and notably made UMRFC’s 12-man 7s roster in 2017–a rare feat for a freshman. Tanner made an impact in running the club as well. In 2016 he served as Assistant Fundraising Director, and in 2017 he served as Director of Alumni Relations. He was voted Assistant Captain for the 2018-2019 season, and then Captain for the 2019-2020 season.
Tanner Visco gave his all for Michigan Rugby. He was the ultimate leader both on the field and off the field. He made a special effort to connect with younger players, making sure that they could have the same experience with Michigan Rugby that he had. Tanner is graduating with a degree in economics, and he also minored in entrepreneurship.
Most of the highlights in this series of articles have been tries. However, Tanner had a knack for assists. He excelled at putting his teammates in position to score. In September 2019, Tanner noticed that Central Michigan’s fullback had vacated his defensive position. Tanner punted the ball into the open space, and Liam Clancy chased it down for a try:
Tanner’s second highlight led to one of Michigan’s best tries of the 2019 fall season. Receiving the ball off of a ruck, Tanner faked out a Michigan State defender to cause a line break. He eventually passed the ball off to Jordan Perez for a go-ahead score in the first half:
Jamie Demers
Before coming to Michigan, Jamie Demers had never played rugby. He leaves as one of the more decorated Michigan players in recent memory. At 6’4″ and 245 lbs, Jamie terrorized opponents, spending time at lock, prop, and #8 during his time in maize and blue. In 2017–just two years after first picking up a rugby ball–Jamie was selected for the USA Rugby U20 Camp. Jamie went on to make the roster for the Collegiate All-American Selection Camp in both 2018 and 2019, solidifying himself as one of the best college rugby players in the nation. He was also named 1st Team All-Big Ten after the Fall 2019 season.
Jamie made sure to give back to the club. After serving as Equipment Manager in 2016 and Internal Operations Director in 2017, Jamie became UMRFC’s Vice President in 2018. His teammates elected him Captain for the 2018-2019 season. In school, Jamie studied naval architecture and marine engineering. He’s moving to Seattle, where he will work as a Staff Naval Architect for Glosten, Inc.
Jamie Demers’ game was characterized by his bruising style of play. He blew through two Minnesota defenders with this try in 2019:
At times, Jamie seemed unstoppable. In this intrasquads highlight, he singlehandedly poached the ball, got up, and outran three defenders to score:
