Pennsylvania State University has announced that Chris Amoratis has been named the new Director of Rugby, effective immediately.

Amoratis had been running the program on an interim basis following a shakeup in the aftermath of a vandalism incident early this year. The team was temporarily suspended, but reinstated after the incident was deemed to have been an isolated action by two students, and not connected to or condoned by the rugby team. Still, Don Ferrell left his post as DOR in the sting, and Amoratis stepped in temporarily, and now permanently.

The PSU Director of Rugby will have oversight of both the Men’s and Women’s teams.

“We are thrilled to name Chris Amoratis as the Director of Penn State Rugby,” said Dayna Wenger, Manager of Team Sports. “As a former rugby player here at Penn State, Chris carries a great deal of passion and pride in this program and university. Chris’ vision for the program, along with his leadership abilities align very well for future success and direction of both the Men’s and Women’s Rugby programs here at Penn State.”

“I am honored to have been chosen to help lead this program in to the future,” added Amoratis in a statement. “ We have the best college programs in the country. The combination of academic excellence and high quality rugby can’t be beat. Our goal is to develop these student-athletes into leaders, both on and off the field.”

With 120 student-athletes, rugby at Penn State is housed within the Athletics Department. In its 54th year on campus, the program has come a long way from its humble club beginning. The men’s team was founded in 1962 and the women’s team in 1979. The University acknowledged the hard work and effort of the teams by elevating the program to Team Sport status in 2005. This allowed for additional benefits to the student-athletes including administrative and medical staff support and access to varsity training facilities.

Amoratis was a member of the PSU Men’s Rugby Club from 1989 to 1993. He has also served multiple stints as an assistant coach with both the Men’s and Women’s teams. Amoratis previously served as Coordinator of Rugby.