By: Josh Brannock, Sports Editor

UNF has seen its fair share of memorable sports runs this season. The men’s and women’s tennis teams are entering their respective conference tournaments as one of the favorites to win, men’s basketball won the most games in program history this season, and Brianna Frazier ran the third-fastest 400m in the nation.

But one of the most surprising stories this season was the UNF rugby team making it to the national championships. The team is in its first season of Division III play and has managed to go through both the regular season and playoffs unscathed.

The Deadbirds were elated after beating the College of William and Mary and winning the East region championship and a chance at the national championships.

But their euphoria died down when the team realized its chance at glory on the national level might not happen.

Being a club team, the Deadbirds get funding through the Club Alliance and out of pocket. After the funds from Club Alliance ran out, the team was left to foot the bill.

In order to ease the burden on their own pockets, the Deadbirds began an attempt to raise money through donations. The team began with a goal of roughly $10,000, but as the reality of traveling costs set in, the team had to raise its goal.

The team’s new goal is to receive $17,000. The money will fund the whole team’s hotel fees, food costs, travel expenses and more. At the moment, the team has raised $10,000 of the $17,000 goal, said David Murphy, the team’s treasurer.

Email Josh Brannock at sports@unfspinnaker.com.
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