Men's Rugby

Iona Rugby is a member of the Liberty Rugby Conference. The team was founded in 1977.

Head Coach

Connor Buckley

Connor Buckley graduated from Xavier High School in 2017. At Xavier, Connor was a member of the football and rugby team. He guided the team to four state titles and national team appearances and was a team captain. He was also a Boys High School All-American and in 2017. Following his graduation, he went to Iona University beginning in the Fall 2017 term and graduated in December 2020, so he could play professionally in the MLR. He was a USA Collegiate All-American Honorable Mention and played for the USA U20s in the World Rugby Trophy competition qualifiers. The Iona Rugby co-captain was also a D1A Rugby Liberty All-Conference first-team selection and 2020 Scholz Award Finalist. Connor most recently played for the New York Ironworkers and is now a member of Old Glory DC.

7's head coach

Tom Kimber

Email: clubsports@iona.edu

Tom Kimber most recently served as the Wellington U16 Head Coach from 2021-2022. Prior to his role for Wellington U16, he was the assistant coach for Poneke Premier in 2022, and Head Coach of Poneke Premier 2. Tom started his coaching career as the Head Coach for Poneke U21.

Coaching & Support Staff

Paul Burke

Email: pburke@iona.edu

Paul Burke has been a long-time member of the Iona Rugby program. Paul works primarily with the 15’s A side while holding numerous roles within the program. He has coached current Iona Rugby MLR players including Connor Buckley, Jack Powers and Watson Filikitonga. He has also coached Pat Quinn who is better known for being the co-founder of the ALS Ice Bucket Challange. Paul was a member of the team's most recent championship in 2021.

James Daley

Email: clubsports@iona.edu

Jim Daley primarily works with the 15’s B side. Jim was a member of the team's most recent championship in 2021.

David Flemister

Email: clubsports@iona.edu

Dave is a longtime member of the Iona Rugby and was a member of the teams most recent championship in 2021. He started his rugby career at Connecticut College and was a member of the New York Rugby Club.

Kyle Granby '12

Email: clubsports@iona.edu

Kyle is a graduate of Iona University and has an extensive background in rugby. Kyle was nominated to the Iona Rugby Hall of Fame in 2018 and received The Brother Robert A. Dunning Rising Star Award from Iona University in the fall of 2022. He is also a member of the USA Hawks and co-founder of ROOTS Rugby Family.

7s Schedule: 2024
Date	Meet Name	Location
March 15-16	Bermuda 7s	Bermuda
March 23	Old Blue 7s	Mount Vernon
April 6	Possible 3-team tournament	Mazzella Field
April 13	LRC Championship	Fairfield University
April 26-27	Collegiate Rugby Championship	Boyds, MD

15s Schedule: 2024
Date	Opponent	Location
March 2	NYPD/FDNY	Mazzella Field
March 9	NYAC	Travers Island, Pelham
April 6	TBD	Mazzella Field

2024 Roster
Name	Position	Hometown	Height	Weight
Jordan McKenzie	Forwards (Front Rowers)	New Rochelle, NY	5'1	230
Arlan Pacholka	Forwards (Front Rowers)	Larchmont, NY	5'5	200
Ben Slade	Forwards (Front Rowers)	Oakham, England	5'10	185
Ethan Caprio	Forwards (Front Rowers)	New Rochelle, NY	6'1	270
Kian McGeever	Forwards (Front Rowers)	Pearl River, NY	6'0	245
Michael Donovan	Forwards (Front Rowers)	Queens, NY	5'9	208
Sean Boyle	Forwards (Front Rowers)	Melville, NY	6'1	240
Tyler Breault	Forwards (Front Rowers)	Stamford, CT	5'11	230
Will Robinson	Forwards (Front Rowers)	Queens, NY	5'11	175
Anthony Antonelli	Forwards (Locks)	Warwick, RI	6'4	225
Robert Nolan	Forwards (Locks)	Rockaway Beach, Queens	6'0	218
Thomas Spillane	Forwards (Locks)	Long Island, NY	5'10	218
Christopher Durnan	Forwards (Loose Forwards)	Long Beach, NY	6'3	220
Colman Gately	Forwards (Loose Forwards)	Fairfield, CT	5'11	194
Nicholas Spadafora	Forwards (Loose Forwards)	Yonkers, NY	5'11	175
Robert Huscher	Forwards (Loose Forwards)	Durham, CT	5'9	175
Ryan Charvat	Forwards (Loose Forwards)	Patchogue, NY	5'10	195
Yacouba Traore	Forwards (Loose Forwards)	Harlem, NY	5'10	240
Tommy Byrnes	Backs (Scrum-Halves)	Marine Park, NY	5'8	165
Sean Donohue	Backs (Scrum-Halves)	Rockaway Park, NY	5'10	175
Archil Kvaratskhelia	Backs (Fly-Halves)	Tbilisi, Georgia	6'3	205
Anthony Livoti	Backs (Fly-Halves)	Pembroke Pines, Florida	6'1	185
Viliami Hopoi	Backs (Fly-Halves)	Sacrameto, Calforina	5'8	185
Christian Padula	Backs (Centers)	Bronx, NY	5'8	160
Finbar McClintock	Backs (Centers)	Floral Park, NY	6'1	165
Gerald Lanning	Backs (Centers)	Flushing, NY	6'0	175
Jack Huscher	Backs (Centers)	Durham, CT	6'1	190
Joseph Morano	Backs (Centers)	New Rochelle, NY	5'10	180
Justin Santos	Backs (Centers)	New Rochelle, NY	5'11	200
Anthony Zambrano	Backs (Back Threes)	Queens, NY	5'11	150
Chase Nicolas	Backs (Back Threes)	Brooklyn, NY	5'8	185
Jack Reidy	Backs (Back Threes)	Trumbull, CT	5'11	185
James Phelps	Backs (Back Threes)	Guyra, Australia	5'8	176
Ken Hayes	Backs (Back Threes)	Walcott, CT	6'0	164
Nicholas Mistretta	Backs (Back Threes)	Skillman, NJ	5'10	164
Sean Urban	Backs (Back Threes)	Bay Shore, NY	6'0	175