Charging Forward: Catching Up with Nick Morgan '24

The University of Arizona rugby team is big: 70-plus players big. On top of that, the 2024–2025 squad has 17 seniors—a big class—and HIES alumni Nick Morgan ’24 was part of a 30-person group of freshmen.

In football terms, Nick's status at the start of his first year on the rugby team would be called a “preferred walk-on.” He was welcomed to the team; still, his coach didn’t see him as a starter for years to come. Regardless—and as the coaches here at Holy Innocents’ have learned about one Nick—there’s something about him that’s intriguing. A lot of somethings, actually. His work ethic. His hustle. His perseverance. All this and more, paired with his talent.

“I came into Arizona not knowing much about rugby and not expecting to start on JV,” Nick remembered. “I was sixth-string on the JV as a center; my coach then switched me from running back/linebacker to wing and this is when everything changed.”

Starting your collegiate rugby career with a scrimmage in 105-degree New Mexico heat was tough enough. Getting injured in that first freshman scrimmage as a sub didn’t help.

What did Nick do? He became the water boy, which gave him access to the sidelines. During that time, he listened, learned and studied the moves of his teammates while passing out fluids.

As he worked to recover from his shoulder injury, he got more and more fit. Soon, he was top-three on the team in the “Bronco test,” an exhausting fitness benchmark used by many rugby teams to measure speed and agility. Not long after, he was starting for Arizona’s 2nd XV team and scoring tries—while also getting good at setting up his teammates to score as well.

Nick used his first college winter break to roll 55-gallon drums and run sand dunes on a family trip to Africa—getting faster and stronger all the time. When he returned to school, an injury on the varsity team gave Nick a window of opportunity. Though he didn’t top the stat sheet in his first match, he did his job well enough to earn a spot on the varsity substitute bench.

After that first go, it was the Nick Morgan we saw here at The 805 for years. He came on late in the next match and had an impressive score. Ditto in the match that followed. Finally, the coach had no choice but to make him a starter.

Nick responded by soon playing the full 80 minutes—and doing it all. Gaining national attention, he was named Division I Rugby Player of the Week, an honor that spans 25-plus Division I schools and over 300 athletes.

“After moving up the lineup to being a starter, this season has been far from what I expected, but it has become one of my most important seasons overall because I went from barely getting noticed, to being depended on to score and help the team get a win every game,” he said.

As he charges on at Arizona, Nick just keeps being who he is: Tough enough to drill an opposing player. A true sportsman who picks him back up. Always a teammate. Happy to be out there. Playing with emotion and heart all the way.

While at HIES, Nick was an All-Region football player, one of the top wrestlers in the state and in the spring, played some baseball and ran some track—not to mention rugby outside of school. He was also voted Homecoming King and was the recipient of the Headmaster’s Award, a top honor for graduating seniors.

So, if you knew Nick during his time at The 805, the story you just read shouldn’t surprise you. Not one bit.