2023-24 Preston Worth Scholarship Recipient: Joe Merlino

Rugby entered Joe Merlino's life at a pivotal moment, offering a path of discipline and promise after a challenging high school football career. Coming out of high school, Merlino had multiple scholarship offers to play football at elite programs. He had a preferred walk-on spot at several D1 universities and scholarship offers from D2 schools. However, years of playing contact football since 2nd grade had taken a toll - he had developed CTE-induced depression from repeated head injuries and undiagnosed concussions that altered his brain chemistry.

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Merlino was initially hesitant about trying rugby until friends explained that any contact to the head or neck area results in a penalty card and potential ejection from the game. Recognizing this made rugby a viable opportunity, Merlino decided to give it a try.

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With his doctor's approval, he joined the Camas Rugby Club during his senior year. He immediately fell in love with the competitive spirit and physical challenge of the sport, but also its culture 

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"That incredible senior season showed me rugby is as competitive and challenging as football, but the culture is 1,000 times better. This was the clincher for me," said Merlino.

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At Western Washington University, Merlino has already made lifelong friends and competed at an elite level with great teammates and coaches. "When you are a Viking, you stay a Viking for life. Go Viks!!" he exclaims.

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A fierce competitor, Merlino was captain of his high school football team, co-captain of the Camas Rugby Club, and participated in AP economics, government, and research studies on cybersecurity and AI. The tighthead prop hopes to one day play professionally in Italy to connect with family roots as he pursues his dream of earning a PhD in cybersecurity with a focus on API security and data science.

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"Rugby gave me an opportunity to compete at the highest level and make lifelong friends in a community I can always come back to," reflects Merlino. "It helped show me a better path forward."