Long Summer Journey for Hawkeyes' Heimer
“Big thanks to all of my Hawkeyes teammates for helping me get to where I am, to the Bell family for hosting me this summer, to Coach Dailey for believing in me and advocating for me, and to my family for supporting me on my rugby journey.” – Ren Heimer
The Invictus rugby 7s team had narrowly lost its first two pool play matches at the 2026 USA Club Rugby 7s National Championship Tournament (August 8–9, 2026, Madison, WI) and, missing a couple key starters out with injury and feeling disappointed at letting the first two matches slip away, faced the daunting task of taking on the eventual national champions New York Old Blue in the third pool match as unheralded underdogs. Still, in front of a large crowd on the main field, former University of Iowa Hawkeye standout Ren Heimer seized the moment and produced a match to be remembered, scoring four tries and all of the Invictus points, including a thrilling 80-meter race for the game-winning try as time expired (with Hawkeyes head coach Tyler Dailey cheering him on). This was just one stop on Heimer’s long summer rugby journey.
From Iowa City to Chicago to Chula Vista, CA (twice) to Madison, WI, to Denver, and finally, now, to St. Charles, MO – almost immediately after helping the Hawkeyes men’s 7s rugby team place third in the CRAA national tournament in May, Heimer started putting in the miles.
Early in the summer, Heimer – two-time conference MVP and two-time all-American for Iowa in 15s – decided to play summer club 7s for the relatively unknown Invictus team in the western suburbs of Chicago, playing alongside Iowa teammate Josh Bell. Soon after that came a surprise letter from USA Eagles 7s head coach Zack Test inviting Heimer to the USA Falcons try-out camp in Chula Vista. After that, Heimer helped the Invictus team qualify for the USA Club Rugby 7s nationals, where he was one of the overall leading scorers. He was then selected to play for the USA Falcons at the famed RugbyTown 7s tournament near Denver (August 21–23), preceded by another training camp in Chula Vista. One Heimer highlight at RugbyTown was this 90-meter try-scoring scamper. Falcons coaches had high praise for Heimer; whether or not he will be given a longer-term position on the team remains to be seen.
Finally, the day after the RugbyTown tournament, Heimer was on the Lindenwood University campus in St. Charles, MO, moving in for the fall semester and getting ready to play for the Lions. Also playing for Invictus this past summer were three players from Lindenwood, a D1 rugby national powerhouse. This connection led Heimer to commit to Lindenwood where he will play 15s and 7s.
Reflecting on his long summer journey, Heimer expressed gratitude for all the help he received along the way. “It all started with my Iowa Hawkeyes teammates, a brotherhood. Coach Dailey mentored me and helped get my name out there. Josh Bell’s family graciously hosted me this summer in Glen Ellyn. The Invictus players and coach were great; let’s run it back again next summer! My Falcons teammates and coaches taught me so much; what an honor. My family supported me all the way. It was an incredible summer. Looking forward to my new chapter at Lindenwood, and we’ll see what happens beyond. But I know where my heart will always be: Once a Hawkeye, always a Hawkeye!”
