Spring Awards Banquet, Recipients Announced
Columbia, SC - This past Saturday, the team held its Spring Awards Banquet joined by several parents, alumni, and Foundation supporters. Attendees enjoyed a full barbeque buffet, along with a speech and picture show prepared by Head Coach Mark Morris. Following the presentation, the following player awards were announced:
Following the awards ceremony, Head Coach Mark Morris took a few moments to reflect. "I stand here tonight with a great deal of pride in the student-athletes I have the privilege to coach and mentor here at the University of South Carolina. These awards are the culmination of months of hard work and dedication by our more than 60 student-athletes, and I am honored to recognize a select few who have truly made an impact on our program. I wish all of our graduates and visiting players a successful future, and I look forward to seeing them again this fall as fellow Olde Boys. The future is bright for Carolina Rugby, and I look forward to a successful postseason."
Carolina Claims Southeastern Rugby Championship Title; Advances to Nationals
Knoxville, TN - This past weekend, the South Carolina Men's Rugby Team sent 25
players to the Southeastern Rugby Championship held in beautiful Knoxville,
TN. The first game was against a much-improved, Auburn side that came into the
playoffs with momentum. However, the Gamecocks used their speed to attack the
outside quickly and frequently, resulting in a final score of 41-5 at the end
of the day. Men of the match were sophomore flyhalf Luke Bolembach in the backs and
sophomore 2nd row Zach Mullineaux in the forwards. (Auburn Match Film)
The victory placed the Gamecocks in the finals to play against Louisiana State, who beat Florida in a challenging match that they eventually ran away with after continuous back-and-forth action all game. Scoring the first points within the first minute, Carolina proved they were ready for a challenging battle, however, penalties continued to hurt the over-aggressive Carolina side. By halftime, LSU had taken advantage of the mistakes, though with calm and level-headed attitudes, Carolina scored 5 second half tries to LSU's 1 second half score, giving your Gamecocks the benefit of the result in a 41-26 victory over the Tigers. (LSU Match Film) With this victory, Carolina improves its spring record to 8-0 after winning (and officially receiving, this weekend) the regular season SCRC East with an undefeated 6-0 record as well as the SCRC Championship. This marks the first time in Gamecock Rugby history that the team has won the SCRC outright. With these wins, the team clinches an automatic berth in the USA Rugby Division I National Sweet 16 Playoffs that are to be held in Knoxville, TN at the Tennessee Rugby Park on the weekend of April 26th & 27th.
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