Senior Appreciation, Part 1

Last week, we recognized the exchange students who are leaving the program. This week, it’s time to acknowledge some of our graduating seniors.

I’ve ordered the seniors roughly by the amount of time they spent on the team. Half of the players are recognized below. The other half will receive recognition in a separate article next week.

Marcus Muallem

Marcus Muallem’s rugby career got off to a promising start in high school. At Grand Rapids Catholic Central, he played on two state champion teams, and in his senior year his team finished in the top 16 at nationals. Marcus joined MRugby in January. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Marcus never saw the field for the Wolverines, but the prop will be remembered for his positive attitude and love for the game. Marcus is graduating with a degree in psychology and plans to attend law school. Here, he made two passes to help set up a team try in the intrasquads playoffs:

Sari Muallem

Marcus’s brother, Sari, also joined the team in January. Sari impressed in limited action, scoring five tries in the intrasquad tournament. Like his brother, Sari majored in psychology. He plans to attend medical school after graduation. Here’s Sari bulldozing his way to a try:

Niko Kyriacou

After a stint in the Michigan Marching Band, Niko Kyriacou switched over to rugby halfway through his junior year. While he got time all over the field, Niko spent the 2019-20 school year primarily at prop and hooker. His Bennies team finished second in the 2020 intrasquad tournament. When he wasn’t playing, he often volunteered to serve as touch judge during games.

Niko is graduating Michigan with a degree in mechanical engineering. He’s moving to Chicago to work at the architectural firm Exp Federal. There, he’ll be designing HVAC and plumbing systems for U.S. military bases around the world! Here’s Niko grabbing the ball after his own team’s kickoff and swooping in for the score:

Matthew Lico

Matthew Lico joined the team halfway through his freshman year, and played wing and hooker for the maize and blue. Although his career was cut short due to injuries, Matthew found other ways to support the club. He spent two years as an officer, serving as Director of Digital Media and VP of Marketing. Matthew made the most of his liberal arts education. He majored in economics, and is also graduating with minors in the environment and mathematics.

Kyle Patmore

Kyle Patmore joined the team as a freshman. He played fly half and wing during his time with the Wolverines. Kyle had to give up rugby during his junior year, but he continued to support the team after he was done playing. Kyle served as Director of Media and VP of Sales for the club, and he’s the one who established our online store. He also served on the Club Sports Executive Board. If that wasn’t enough, Kyle became a referee and served as an assistant coach. He officiated a number of scrimmages, and I owe him thanks for giving me my introduction to rugby last fall.

Kyle is graduating with a degree in movement science. He’s moving to Dallas, where he will work as a surgical neurophysiologist. Here’s a young Kyle singlehandedly scoring a try back in 2016:

Liam Clancy

Liam Clancy joined the team when he was a freshman and immediately became an impact player at wing/fullback. By the 2018 7s season, he was Michigan’s leading try-scorer. Liam spent the ensuing school year in Japan, and missed the 2019 fall season due to injury, so he didn’t truly make it back onto the field until the 2020 intrasquad tournament. There, he picked up right where he left off. Liam led the tournament in tries with 14, and led Bennies all the way to second place.

Off the field, Liam had a habit of eating tuna before games his freshman year, and quickly earned the nickname “Tuna.” Liam was on the pre-med track, but majored in international studies. This fall, Liam will move to Tokyo to work as a strategy consultant. I can’t stress enough how electric Liam Clancy was in a rugby uniform. Here’s him slithering through the entire Jones intrasquads team in February:

Stay tuned for the final article in this series, which I plan on publishing next week.