2017 Barbarian of the Year: Todd Chini.

On Friday the Milwaukee Barbarians held their annual rugby awards ceremony and banquet.

Newly-elected club secretary Todd Chini at took home top honors as the 2018 Rugger of the Year. Todd is a dedicated club member who puts in a lot of hours both on and off the field.

The other awardees stand out from prior years in that all but one of them are first-time awardees such as Rookie of the Year Connor Bell and MAORI (35+) of the Year Wayne Cutler.  

Another unique feature of the ceremony is the inclusion of the Rugby 7s awards: this is the first time both programs celebrated their seasons and recognized their outstanding players at the same time. 

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Congratulations to all of the awardees! 

Club Awards

  • Rugger of the Year — Todd Chini (second from left in photo)
  • Rookie of the Year — Conor Bell
  • MAORI (35+) of the Year — Wayne Cutler 

Rugby 15s Awards, Division 1

  • Forward of the Year — Kyle Cwiklis 
  • Back of the Year — Ty Ash
  • Most Improved — Anthony Sims 

Rugby 15s Awards, Division 3

  • Forward of the Year — Patrick Ratzburg
  • Back of the Year — Michael Egan
  • Most Improved — Brady Ludwig

Rugby 7s Awards

  • Most Valuable Player, Qualifier Team — Stuart Roche
  • Most Valuable Player, Competitive Team — Tom Fossell
  • Most Improved — Bryce Counsellor
From left: Cutler, Chini, Bell, Sims, Ash, Roche, Egan, Ratzburg, and Ludwig. 
Vic Drover
Vic Drover

Vic has a long history in and around the sport of rugby both in Canada and the US. He has played for and started numerous clubs (Vandal's RFC, Strathcona Druids, Suffolk Bull Moose, Westside Harlequins, Milwaukee Barbarians, Hamilton Girls Rugby), and served many roles over the years at all administrative levels. Vic joined the Harlequins in 2007 and remained an active club member through the transition to the Barbarians. These days, he spends his rugby time playing tag rugby and touring with the Old Boys, keeping the club website updated, helping organize the Lakefront 7s, and fundraising.

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