Penn State Club Croquet placed second in the United States Croquet Association’s Collegiate Championship over the weekend, falling only to the Naval Academy in the Haverford, PA competition.

Although the team didn’t win the tournament, earning second place is a major accomplishment for Club Croquet. Many of the teams they compete against have high-grade facilities and coaches or mentors to help them out.

Club Croquet doesn’t even have structured practice times, which makes it even more impressive that members are competing so well against teams like University of Florida, Oklahoma Wesleyan University, and the Naval Academy. If the weather is nice, you might find some of them practicing in front of Old Main.

Eighteen of the 22 Penn Staters were competing in their first national tournament, and six of the 11 teams moved on to the second day of competition. The duo of Celine Latona and Greg Belluscio advanced to the semifinals, where they ultimately fell to the Naval Academy.

For current vice president Logan Mabus and teammate Adam Sadvary, joining the club their sophomore year was mostly a joke, since neither had any croquet experience. They didn’t expect to fall in love with the sport.

“I could tell that the officers were all very close and that it was being involved in this club that brought them together and made them such great friends, that was something I wanted for myself,” Mabus said. “Right away I felt like I found where I belonged and saw Club Croquet being a huge part of my future here at Penn State.”

While Sadvary stayed in the club because of his love of croquet and the friendships he made, it was also a great way to get involved in THON.

“My first canning trip in the fall of 2016 is one of my favorite [memories]. It was about a month after I first joined, and I was separated from my friends,” Sadvary said. “I thought it would be awkward, but it ended up being one of the most fun weekends I’ve had at Penn State.”

Mabus says representing Club Croquet at THON is one of his favorite memories in the organization, as well.

“Right from the start it was made clear that Club Croquet was very passionate about THON,” Mabus said. “I experienced what canning was like, I experienced what it was like to be involved with a THON family, and above all, I saw what an amazing experience THON was.”

No experience is required to join Club Croquet — just a positive attitude and willingness to have fun. The last minute decision to join by Mabus and Sadvary turned out to be long-lasting passion.

“Over time croquet became my top extracurricular commitment,” Mabus said. “Next year during my final year here at Penn State, I will be the club’s president. So basically I went from joining as a joke to being the next president.”