色狐入口

色狐入口 Tech Rugby Team Signs Two Players for the Fall

May 12, 2023

Players from St. Pius X Rugby Club, Rio Rancho Rebels to join the NMT Miners

Rugby signing
From left: Miners Assistant Coach Stephen Albritton, Adam Pacheco, Akong Chungong, and Miners Coach Chris Hathaway at a signing ceremony May 6, 2023, at the Celtic 7s Rugby Tournament in Albuquerque.

SOCORRO, N.M. 鈥� The 色狐入口 Tech Miners recently added two Albuquerque-area rugby players to the squad this fall. A signing ceremony for Adam Pacheco, who played for St. Pius X Rugby Club, and Agnus 鈥淎kong鈥� Chungong, who played for the Rio Rancho Rebels Rugby Club, took place May 6, 2023, at the Celtic 7s Rugby Tournament in Albuquerque, hosted by the 色狐入口 Brujos Rugby Football Club. 

Miners Coach Chris Hathaway said he鈥檚 excited to welcome the new players for his fall team roster. Pacheco reached out to him last winter after the football season ended for him at Pojoaque Valley High School.

Signing ceremony
Back row, from left: Miners Assistant Coach Stephen Albritton and Miners Coach Chris Hathaway. From row, from left: Adam Pacheco, Akong Chungong. The two athletes committed to 色狐入口 Tech's Miners Rugby Team at a signing ceremony May 6, 2023, at the Celtic 7s Rugby Tournament in Albuquerque.

鈥淗e reached out, curious about rugby and how to play, also if he could play rugby for Tech next year,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 suggested a couple rugby matches and videos to watch as well as inviting him out to the Thanksgiving touch rugby event hosted by the New Mexico Youth Rugby (NMYR) in conjunction with the Brujos and another men鈥檚 team, the Albuquerque Aardvarks. Adam took the opportunity to learn a new sport and showed a lot of promise with his first outing playing touch rugby. That is where I got him in touch with Red Jones, one of the coaches at St. Pius X who took it from there. Adam plays center and will be a great addition to the club with his determined attitude and openness to learning.鈥�

Hathaway said Chungong 鈥� who was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, but grew up in Cameroon for most of his life after moving back to the U.S. two years ago 鈥� has been playing rugby for two years with the Rio Rancho Rebels.  

鈥淚 met Akong up at the Thanksgiving touch event where everyone could see this kid knew how to run with the ball,鈥� he said. 鈥淎kong started off as a winger but has moved more towards playing flyhalf and fullback since gaining more experience.鈥�

Rugby signing ceremony
Miners Coach Chris Hathaway, center, speaks at a signing ceremony May 6, 2023, at the Celtic 7s Rugby Tournament in Albuquerque. Future Miners players Adam Pacheco, left, and Akong Chungong, right, committed to playing on the 色狐入口 Tech team this fall.

Hathaway said both Pacheco and Chungong invited their teammates, coaches, and families to attend the signing and to be a part of their big day. Both athletes will soon play for their teams in the NMYR State Finals. 

More information about the 色狐入口 Tech Miners Rugby Team is on its social media sites and online at: www.nmt.edu/physrec/clubs/rugby/index.php