Brock men’s rugby player has summer to remember with Team Ontario

After an action-packed summer with Team Ontario, Koen Schroeder returns home with multiple medals.

Schroeder, a first-year men's rugby player, competed in three tournaments for Team Ontario this summer, capping it with a thrilling 17-12 win over Team British Columbia in the 2025 Canada Summer Games final in St. John's, N.L.

"This summer has been an unreal experience for me," Schroeder said. "It has been an honor being able to not just represent Ontario but do so while representing Brock University, and I can't wait for what lays ahead."

In that championship final on Wednesday, Aug. 13, Schroeder scored two tries, including the game winner with no time left helping Team Ontario make history as the winners of the innagural men's rugby sevens event at the Canada Summer Games.

During Canada's largest multi-sport event, Schroeder helped Team Ontario to a dominant performance in the preliminary round as they outscored opponents 160-5 and held three teams scoreless. 

Prior to the Canada Games, the Physical Education major won his first gold medal of the summer with Team Ontario (Ontario Blues), defeating Team B.C. 25-21 in the finals of the Canadian U19 Rugby Championships in Calgary July 27. 

Schroeder was joined by current Brock teammates Luke Bagshaw and Brayden McReelis at the Coast to Coast Cup in Halifax, N.S, where they earned a silver medal. The final took place June 22 and saw the Ontario Blues fall to the Atlantic Privateers 41-5. 

"Traveling to Halifax, Calgary and St. John's and getting to play alongside fellow Badgers at the Coast to Coast Cup was great," Schroeder said. "All these experiences have taught me valuable lessons on and off the pitch as well as making new life-long friendships."

The Stoney Creek, Ont., product just finished his first year with the men's rugby team and is ready to bring the experience from all three high-performance competitions back to Brock.

"Selection to one of these rosters is an impressive achievement, but to feature for all three is a testament to Koen's dedication and preparation to consistently play at a high level," said Brock men's head coach Sean Medeiros. "We are excited to see what he brings back to the team this year with these new experiences under his belt and cant wait to get to work on the season in a few short weeks." 

The Badgers men's rugby team is coming off a fifth straight Ontario University Athletics (OUA) playoff appearance and gets their season started at home Sept.6 for a 4 p.m. matchup against the RMC Paladins.