The Captain Who Carried the Crown
Six years ago, Joseph “Joe Bob” Moleski stepped onto a rugby field as a 5’2” high school freshman who had never played a contact sport. He was undersized, outmatched, and unsure of what he had gotten himself into.
Today, he stands atop the sport.
As captain of Franciscan University’s men’s rugby team, Moleski led the Barons to a 12–2 season and the first national championship in the program’s 25-year history. Along the way, he was named National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) Division III Player of the Year and earned NCR All-American recognition.
Joe Bob” Moleski, National Collegiante Rugby DIII Player of the Year.
It is the kind of rise that doesn’t just tell the story of a great athlete. It tells the story of transformation.
Moleski’s rugby journey began at St. Martin’s Academy in Fort Scott, Kansas, where rugby wasn’t just an option—it was the only option. Thrown into competition against players nearly twice his size, he endured the physical and mental demands of a sport he barely understood.
But something changed.
Within a year, what began as survival became passion. The fear gave way to conviction: He had found the game he would play for the rest of his life.
That conviction followed him to Franciscan, where the sophomore management major from Carrollton, Texas, quickly emerged as one of the top players in the country. In just his first two seasons, Moleski was named 2024 and 2025 Allegheny Rugby Union (ARU) All-Conference, a 2025 NCR All-American, and ultimately, the 2025 NCR Division III Player of the Year.
Yet for Moleski, the accolades tell only a small part of the story. Rugby, he says, isn’t about individual greatness but about sacrifice.
“There is no sport in which individual brilliance is so unimportant as in rugby, so winning player of the year was a testimony to my teammates,” he says. “Being the captain of such a humble team is the easiest job in the world.”
That humility is not accidental. It is rooted in the team’s identity and its patron, St. Joseph the Worker, whose quiet strength and self-gift mirror the demands of the sport.
and self-gift mirror the demands of the sport.
“Whether it be making a tackle so the guy next to you doesn’t have to, or covering a ruck when your teammate is tackled, every aspect of rugby on offense and defense calls you to put your body on the line for the sake of your teammates,” Moleski says. “For that reason, it is the most beautiful practice to be a part of.”
That spirit carried the Barons through a dominant season and onto the national stage, where they made history on December 14, 2025—not just by winning a national title, but by doing so together.
For Moleski, the championship is not the end of the journey but the beginning of a deeper calling within the sport that changed his life.
After graduation in 2028, he hopes to play professionally for as long as possible, and then remain in the game as a coach, manager, or mentor—passing on what was given to him.
“This game has changed my life, and that was not a happy accident. It was a blessing from God in his providence,” he says. “Rugby changes lives, and I will love it until the day I die.”
At Franciscan, Moleski found more than a team. He found a mission.
“There is a lot of development and hard work to be done, but that’s no different than the position I was in this fall,” he says. “In both regards, being at this university has put me in a position to succeed and do great things in rugby—always through, with, and in Jesus Christ.”
Lacrosse Honors Luke Reimer
Before a men’s lacrosse game on April 25, Franciscan University retired the No. 1 jersey of Luke Reimer, a junior defender and 2026 team captain whose life was cut short in January alongside his girlfriend, Mary Mich, in a tragic accident.
Reimer played two seasons for the Barons, making 20 starts, collecting 62 ground balls, causing 26 turnovers, and scoring two goals. Joined at midfield by Reimer’s father, stepmother, sisters, members of the Mich family, coaches, and athletic staff, the ceremony celebrated his leadership, faith, and lasting impact on teammates and friends. Head Coach Pete Rosaschi and Athletics Director Danny Andersen both presented a plaque bearing Reimer’s green No. 1 jersey to his family, while a second plaque featuring his favorite black alternate jersey will be permanently displayed in Finnegan Fieldhouse.
The Franciscan community then joined together in prayer and observed a moment of silence in memory of Luke, Mary, and all who continue to mourn their loss.
Baron Club Dinner Brings Community Together
Nearly 500 friends of Franciscan Athletics gathered April 30 for the 57th Annual Baron Club Dinner hosted by Franciscan University in Finnegan Fieldhouse. Pictured are Trinity Health System’s Market Director of Marketing and Communications Laurie Labishak, former Pittsburgh Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle, Steubenville High School Head Boys Basketball Coach Mike Haney, and Franciscan Men’s Basketball Coach and Director of Community Relations Joseph Wallace. Hurdle, who led Pittsburgh to three consecutive postseason appearances and was named National League Manager of the Year in 2013, served as the featured speaker at the event supporting Franciscan Athletics.
During the evening, Haney received the Baron Club’s Father Terence Henry, TOR, President’s Award in recognition of his longtime mentorship and lasting impact on young men in the Steubenville community, while Labishak was honored with the Kuzma Community Award for her years of dedication and volunteer service to the Ohio Valley.
Dick Riederer, former CEO of Weirton Steel and former Franciscan University trustee, received the Father Terence Henry Award in absentia for his support developing the University.
Student-Athlete SPOTLIGHT
Kate Kinst
Name: Kate Kinst
Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Major: Nursing
Year: Senior
Sport: Swimming and Diving
Event: Distance Freestyle
Honors: 2025-26 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District, 2025 PAC Academic Honor Roll, 2024-25 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District, 2024 PAC Academic Honor Roll, and 2023 PAC Academic Honor Roll.
On Faith and Athletics: “My faith and swimming are very interconnected. As a team, we all pray together before meets, at the end of meets, and we always invite the other teams to pray with us. I like to offer up each early morning wake up, tough practice set, and race for different intentions. My faith also helps keep me grounded and focused when practices or races don’t go the way I want. I work hard and strive to always do my best as a student-athlete to glorify the Lord and thank him for the gift he has given me through swimming.”
What Competing at Franciscan Means: “Being able to represent Franciscan University in competition is an honor. I grew up on very secular swim teams where God was not a focus. Competing for Franciscan’s swim team allowed me to openly use my gifts to glorify God and to keep my faith at the forefront of my collegiate athlete career. I am better able to encounter other college athletes by representing and carrying out the core values of the University—encounter, conversion, and community—at meets.”
