AVE MARIA, Fla. — For the second straight year, the Ave Maria Rugby team advanced to the postseason. Unfortunately, the postseason run ended early as the Gyrenes fell to the St. Thomas Bobcats 38-31.

Ave Maria controlled the game early, with first-half tries from Welse From, Dan Gee, and John Suran giving them a 19–12 lead at halftime. St. Thomas opened the scoring with a penalty kick, but the Gyrenes quickly found the in-goal area for back to tries to take a lead they wouldn't lose for the rest of the half.

In the final 40 minutes, tries from Brian Harrington and Dan Geen extended AMU's advantage to 11 points.

However, momentum shifted when STU intercepted a pass and returned it the length of the field, closing the gap. STU capitalized late with two more scores to complete the comeback, bringing AMU's season to an end.

With the loss, Ave Maria finishes 2026 with a 5-1 record.