Poughkeepsie, NY - They came from far and wide to relive their glory days! Although there was a sprinkling of rain at the start of the first game the skies cleared and the sun shone as the current teams took on Big Pink. First up were the women and although only a few alums present played it was a game of good quality, so credit is due to all the present Vassar squad and it set the standard for the day.

Vassar College Women XV  17 v 45 Vassar Alum Women  XV
VC Tries: Sabine Weil (1), Rosie Perkinson (1) & Dea Edwards (1).
Cons: Rosie Perkinson (1).
Alum XV Tries: Maisy Richardson (2), Sam Tang (2), Gus Pointer Mace (2), Yasmeen Kassem-Scott (1), Trish Stanley (1), & Andi Authers (1).

This was truly a joy to watch as both teams knew what was coming in terms of attacking shape and it boiled down to a matter of execution.  The game was tight at the half with the Alum XV up by 3 tries to 2, so the score stood at 15-10 but no-one could have expected the tryfest in the second half as the sun came out.

If truth be told there were only 3 alums playing but all of them scored tries! Sam Tang '25 collected a brace, Trish Stanley '07 playing at center, sliced through for her try and Andi Auther '25 scored a trademark try.

The game started with both sets of forwards paying homage to the slippery conditions and the ball was picked and the gain line attacked. The experience of the Alum XV pack just had the edge and the beneficiary was scrum half Maisy Richardson. She had a storming run following a restart and was playing with confidence bagging 2 tries to earn a 10-0 lead.

Sabine Weil intelligently broke through after being brought down but not held and it was a 10-5 game with the crowd getting into the act cheering. More and more the College came into the game and some nifty footwork from fullback Rosie Perkinson allowed her to break through despite the attentions of fullback Dana Wasserman. The score stood at 10-10 but the Alum XV would have the last say as Sam Tang went over and a 5-point lead was opened up.

The second half saw both teams expand their game with the ball being shifted to one out runners and in true carnival spirit Sabine Weil put in a wipers kick that may have exorcised her Harry Styles moment of 2 years ago.

Gus Pointer Mace was rewarded for a lot of effort with try number 4 but a fine score from the college by Dea Edwards brought matters closer as Perkinson converted and it was 20-17.

Yasmeen Kassem-Scott celebrated her last collegiate game with the next try and the game was now running a little bit away from the college. There really was a great attitude as both teams played to score tries and it was a lovely way to round out the season.

Teams 
VC XV: 15 Rosie Perkinson 13 Maureen Regan 12 Annika Szturma 10 Sabine Weil 9 Ava Rowland  1 Cai Bardsley-Cutler 2 O. Arteaga-Johnson 3 Gabby Gitau 4 Emi Mitchell 5 Jo Ellis 6 Dea Edwards 7 Meg Carpenter 8 Ellie Carr.
Alum XV: 15 Dana Wasserman 14 Sadye Krell 13 Trish Stanley 12 Tate Wagner 10 Chloe Ellis 9 Maisy Richardson 1 Sydney Oren 2 Gus Pointer Mace 3 Andi Authers 4 Julia Wolfe 5 Mette McKinney 6 Sam Tang 8 Yasmeen Kassem-Scott

Next:  The 2026-27 Season.
Vassar College Men XV  22 v 10 Vassar Alum Men  XV
VC Tries: Phil Knowlton (1), TJ Usher (2) & Kaiden Tocher (1).
Cons: Kiran Mullen (1).
Alum XV Tries: Gabe Slavin (1) & Louie Brown (1).

This was a game that was hard fought and at scrumhalf for the Alum XV was Garrett Mointgomery who epitomized the never say die attitude of the former students. There were plenty of alums on the sideline watching and it was great to see everyone back at the Farm.

But the alums had their work cut out for them with the speed and lateral movement of Vassar's number 9 TJ Usher. The Brewers had Kiran Mullen at 10 and he had an enjoyable afternoon though at times it was hardly surprising that he seemed to be playing 7s given the last 4 years of spring seasons that is exactly what he has played.

The College took the lead when Phil Knowton powered over and it was just reward for the territory they had maintained. But there were signs of a sleeping giant in that Montgomery was playing well and Nick Olkovsky at 10 spun out of tackles and Carl Aller looked dangerous. The Alum center pairing of Matheo Dwyer and Ezra Potts was rock solid and kept the speedy Vassar backs in check but the jinking runs of Usher saw him score and the college led 12-0. There was a good response from the Alums as current player Gabe Slavin scored as he had switched over when there was an injury. At the half it was 12-5.

The Vassar pack was dominant in the scrums and credit is due the two first years students playing at prop. Mohammad Al-Sheabani and Sawyer Bivins demolished the Alum front row in an early scrum and that definitely focused the attention of the wily vets. The college had a good deal more in the second row height and weight wise but the Alum pack improved to regain some respect.

Usher added to his tally then Kaiden Tocher went over in the corner for a fitting end to his collegiate rugby career. Next up for the college is the 2026-27 season.

A huge thank you to Charlie Williams '80 and all the alums who made the trip to watch the games. A full list will follow in an email but this report will suffice for now.

VC XV: 15 McCarthy Barber 14 Tony Mwangi 13 Rhese Fine 12 Eli Schair-Rigoletti 11 Will Taaffe  10 Kiran Mullen 9 TJ Usher 1 Sawyer Bivins 2 Phil Knowlton 3 Mohammad Al-Sheabani 4 Max Czekaj 5 Samia Jaman 6 Miles Yum 7 Gabe Slavin/Will Taaffe 8 Kaiden Tocher.
Alum XV: 15 Carl Aller 14 Jerry Dieudonne 13 Ezra Potts 12 Matheo Dwyer 11 Skye Albert-Hall 10 Nick Olkovsky 9 Garrett Montgomery 1 John Winton 2 Louie Brown 3 Justin Lederer 4 Mo DeCarvalho 5 Jack Gibberd 6 Daniel Austen 7 Gabe Slavin 8 Ben Remy.