MASON CITY – MCHS & NIACC grad Paul Kaler-Ward, along with his family have awarded the first ever rugby scholarship to Dylan Hanson of Mason City. The Kaler Family Rugby Scholarship will be for the 2016-17 academic year and will be eligible to receive a 2nd year renewal pursuant to meeting a set scholarship criteria. The scholarship rewards high school rugby players that want to further their education by attending North Iowa Area Community College and play rugby for Mason City’s River City Rugby Club.
“We’re extremely excited to award our first ever rugby scholarship to such a wonderful young man. Dylan is exactly the kind of character and quality of an applicant we were hoping for when we decided to do this scholarship. He’s a very talented individual (on and off the field) and we’re excited about watching him grow with River City Rugby’s club side team.” Kaler said.
Upon graduation from MCHS in 1990, Kaler played rugby for Mason City’s team while attending 2 years at NIACC and 2 years after graduation. He played 5 years for the Eastside Banshees in Minnesota and 8 years with the Orion’s in Wisconsin. He’s competed internationally on 7 world tours and currently plays for the St. Louis Royals Rugby Club in Missouri. His wife Sarah played rugby at Wartburg College in Waverly and later for the Orion Women’s club in Wisconsin where they met. They reside in the St. Louis area with their two children and share a passion for the development of youth rugby locally and nationally. They continue to travel together and compete in international rugby tournament play and their children participate in youth rugby programs throughout the St. Louis area.
Anyone interested in additional information on the Kaler Family Rugby Scholarship can contact Sarah Kaler at kaler.sarah@gmail.com or the NIACC Foundation. There are currently 2 remaining scholarship open for review.
All involved are class acts….nice work!
Thank you to the Kaler family for helping to support the sport, youth, and education here in North Iowa!