WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Indiana Tech men's rugby team put in a strong showing at the 2025 Boilermaker 7's Tournament hosted by Purdue University, finishing the day with a 1-1-1 record. The Warriors opened with a tight loss to Purdue, followed by a dominant win over IU-Indianapolis, and capped the day with a hard-fought draw against Indiana University in the 5th-place final.

In the opening match, Indiana Tech came close to toppling the host Boilermakers, but a few costly mistakes and missed opportunities led to a narrow 17-12 loss. The Warriors responded with conviction in their second match, defeating IU-Indy 40-7 in a game that featured six different try-scorers and an impressive all-around team performance. In the day's final game, Tech faced Indiana University in a back-and-forth contest, ultimately coming from behind to earn a 19-19 tie at the final whistle.

Head Coach Sam DiFilippo was pleased with the team's growth throughout the tournament. "I can confidently say the work we've put in, both in strength and conditioning with Coach Mike and our rugby development, is starting to show. What stood out to me was our mental reset. We were locked in, using the tools we'd been building for weeks. Skills that had been missing in earlier tournaments were finally showing up. What's still missing is just as clear: experience and discipline. But those are all fixable. What encourages me most is that our foundation is solid. I'd be concerned if we struggled with tackling, ball handling, or the breakdown. But we're not. That tells me we're building something strong that will only improve."

The Boilermaker 7's marked the conclusion of the Warriors' spring 7's season. The program now focuses on offseason training and the build-up toward its first-ever fall 15's season in 2025.

Indiana Tech Boilermaker 7's Tournament Stats:
Team Record: 1-1-1
Derek Powell – 3 tries, 9 conversions, 2 assists
Emery Crawford – 3 tries
Max Brinker – 2 tries
Ashton Skarie – 2 tries, 1 assist
Noah Allen – 1 try, 1 assist
Andrew Evans – 1 assist