The men's rugby club completed their undefeated regular season Saturday, asserting their spot as one of the top teams in the nation.

Dayton's club, which is currently celebrating a 40th anniversary on campus, is having one of the best seasons and cemented their spot as a No.1 seed for the postseason tournament with their 18-13 victory on the road against Ohio University.

Finishing the season undefeated was quite the thrill for the veteran-laden team. They got to that point with help from the biggest shock of the season, their upset over the top ranked team in Division II rugby. Miami University, annually one of the top teams in the sport, was the number one team in the nation heading into its contest against the Flyers Oct. 17.

"We knew last year they were the No. 3 team at nationals and yet we played them tough then," fifth-year senior Dave Koehneman said.

The match played up to all of the hype, as the score was 10-7 in favor of the Flyers at halftime and within seven points throughout. Trailing 29-25 with the clock winding down however, a fortuitous bounce into the hands of speedy Jim Paszczykowski decided the contest.

Jack Brennan, a junior flanker who goes by the nickname "Glutes" according to the team Web site, was on the sideline at the end but had a perfect angle at the final bounce. Nursing a minor injury, he tried to reenact the play and was frank about what it meant for the team's chances at the very end.

"If Miami had gotten that bounce, it would have been the end," he said.

With the ball in perfect positioning, Dayton took one last try for a score and came up victorious by the narrow margin of 30-29. Unearthing the top team in the land, the entire team knew that this year's unit was a special group.

"It was the most important game of the year for us and we took care of business," sophomore Matt Gribowicz said.

For the many seniors and even fifth-year seniors on the team, it was the greatest event in their playing career. Rugby, a sport that carries a macho stereotype for the heavy-lifting athletes that play every week, is quite close to a game we all cherish and love.

"It is like American football except there are no downs and the game is continuous. There is also no forward passing with 15 players on the field per team and no pads," Koehneman said.

Much like the increased youth participation in sports like soccer and lacrosse, rugby is on the rise in the United States. Citing the increase of high school club teams and amateur leagues, Koehneman understands how the talent level has increased within the last few years. He said that this year's team is not afraid to play a handful of underclassmen every week.

The Flyers concluded their league schedule over the weekend against Ohio and now will begin the Midwest tournament as the top seed Saturday. If they win Saturday they play the next day for a chance to advance to the regional Final Four and eventually a ticket for nationals.

In response to their undefeated finish, Gribowicz had this to say about their effort, "We knew what we had as a team and we wanted to make sure we put our work in this season."

Brennan never knew that the team would become competitive in the way it is today. Saying he knew it was going to be a part of his college career, the junior is ecstatic about the way this season is developing.

"It is definitely our goal this year to go to nationals," he said.