“I feel like going 0-5 would just be like the most devasting thing ever,” Schuler said.

The team is feeling the heat after a long break from competition. The university’s hazing misconduct report revealed that the club was held responsible in March 2025 for violating the hazing policy. This decision came after an incident at a new member event that took place in the fall of 2024. The report confirmed the club’s actions had overstepped on the policy, leading to the university acting against them.

 “Ashley,” a person who asked that her real name not be used, appealed that decision. She said the case moved through several university offices, each with its own polices, and that no one from Rec Sports attended the team’s Student Conduct hearing. “It’s like a judge issuing you an indictment, but they never came to your trial, Ashley said.

 Rebuilding trust with the university has been a big job for the club. To make things better, they’ve made some changes. For one, they’ve downsized their leadership team to make communication easier. They’ve also made sure everyone on the team takes part in anti-hazing training. Now, the people who advise the team keep a close eye on them, especially when it comes to social events. This way, they can make sure everything runs smoothly and safely. By taking these steps, the club is working hard to regain the university’s trust and create a more positive environment for its members.

 That oversight has pushed the identity shift Shuler says the team wanted for years. “We always wanted this team to be more of like a sports team and not just a social team,” she said.

 Getting back on track begins with getting ready, and watching game film is now the starting point. Schuler said that when they lost to NC State for the first time, it showed them how little they knew about their own weaknesses, mainly because they hadn’t played anyone in a while. The team captains made everyone watch the game again to see what went wrong. This way, they could figure out what they needed to work on.

 “It was really nice getting to watch things back and see all the things that we were missing that we didn’t even know that we were bad at,” Schuler said, pointing to basics like running on pace with the ball and coming up on defense.

 She’s now watching videos of other top college teams to get inspiration, and she’s even sending notes to her players based on what she learned from their game against NC State. She’s also reached out to alumni, asking them to take a look at the game footage and suggest some new drills they can try, this is especially impressive considering she was only playing for one year prior to the suspension, but has already been made captain of the team.

 The team’s fitness level is a major concern. They really struggled against NC State, so now they’re incorporating Bronco runs into their training. This intense workout is designed to get the young players ready for their first full season of 15s in a long time. It’s a big challenge, but the team is hoping to build up their endurance and come out strong. By pushing themselves with these tough runs, they’re aiming to bridge the fitness gap and make a solid start to the season.

 Schuler believes wins are within reach. “I really think that we can beat Howard and UVA,” she said.