NMT Miners rugby looks to bounce back to nationals

New Mexico Tech rugby president Niko Crosato has stepped up to help as the Miners search for a new head coach.
Russell Huffman | El Defensor Chieftain photos

A year after winning two consecutive national rugby championships, the New Mexico Tech Miners are reloading and are expected to have a new coach sometime in the fall.

A lack of a coach doesn’t mean the Miners aren’t busy with practices this summer, as club president Niko Crosato has taken a lead role in ensuring the team stays sharp.

“The president of the club is always involved in the coaching and the recruitment of the new coach. I’m keeping the players interested and up to date,” Crosato said. “I’m keeping them fresh on our old plays. We haven’t introduced any new plays here. I’m just trying to keep the guys together because we’re transitioning.”

Due to graduating this fall with a degree in mining and engineering, Crosato’s enthusiasm for rugby is evident as he runs the Miners through passing drills. He’s not just the club president; he’s undoubtedly the most experienced player and has played rugby on three continents.

Born in Chile and then raised in Australia, Crosato has seen his fair share of the sport and freely shares the proper terminology involved with passing the ball.

Logan McKinney keeps his eyes locked on the ball during Friday’s practice at the New Mexico Tech athletic field.

“Right now, I’m doing the summer practices from 7-8:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We want the guys running and getting into shape again because it’s six weeks until the semester starts,” Crosato said.

A season after having won two straight national titles, Miners’ rugby had a successful season but failed to win a qualifier to get to nationals last year. Coach Christopher P. Hathaway’s unheralded departure has left things in a lurch with a month and a half until the start of school.

Someone passing and watching rugby practice at the NMT athletic field would be surprised to learn Crosato isn’t the head coach as he runs players through their drills. The only hint is rather than toting a whistle and making corrections, Crosato is in the middle of the action and running so hard he’d have problems blowing the action to a stop.

“It’s ‘bingo’ if you want the ball to be passed to right away,” Crosato said. “If we call something else, that doesn’t mean you have the pass the ball immediately.”

A few players look new to the game, and Crosato is always looking for more.

“I’m always trying to try to recruit people on campus. When we are in Albuquerque and the younger guys that have clinics up there, I encourage them to come to check us out and find out about good education and play New Mexico Tech rugby,” Crosato said.

Does Crosato believe his team can rebound and return to nationals?

“We’ve hit a rough patch but are under development. We have a very tight and close-knit group. We respect each other. We have, basically, a brotherhood out there. We go out, and we respect each other. We support each other 100 percent on whatever we’re going to do,” Crosato said. “I’m not worried about what will happen this upcoming semester. When we have a coach, it’s going to be even better. We’re ready to go out there and prove ourselves once again because we’re two-time national champions, and nobody else can take that away from us, and we’re going to go and prove it again.”

The Miners’ manager, Jewelers Edeal, has also come through for the Miners during the coaching transition as she performs various duties that include the team’s social media.

“We’re excited about the upcoming season and getting a new coach. Right now, we want to get the guys in shape, and I’m here to do whatever I can for them,” Edeal said.