11/24/2014, 8:45pm ESTBy GA & MB

All Conference, Player of the Year, Coach of the Year

The Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference wrapped up another exciting season with the University of South Carolina being crowned champions at the SCRC 15s Championships in Columbia, SC. The Gamecocks capped off a fantastic season with a 50-22 win over Alabama in the final.

SCRC 15s Rugby Player of the Year – Dana Corcoran
South Carolina’s Dana Corcoran has been named SCRC Player of the Year. The senior flanker from Wando High School in Charleston, SC is a Business major and AP Scholar.

Dana returned from an early season injury to lead the team in the final matches of the fall campaign and the SCRC Championship. Dana’s tenacity on defense and high work rate fit very well with his inspirational leadership of the Gamecocks. Off the field he is well known as an excellent ambassador of the game. 

SCRC 15s Rugby Coach of the Year – Evan Kaplan
Mississippi State’s Evan Kaplan has been named SCRC Coach of the Year. Evan and Coach Randy Pannell led the Bulldogs in a fantastic fall season that included a West Division Championship and their first ever appearance in the SCRC Championship Tournament. In Spring 2013 Mississippi State was 0-6 in conference play and was outscored by over 250 points. 18 months later MSU finished the Fall 2014 campaign with a 5-1 record and a West Division Championship. Receiving very little resources from the university, Evan and Randy’s hard work is a testament to the fact that a team can achieve in the conference with solid recruiting, a student athlete commitment to training and a dedicated coaching staff. 

All-Conference
This year’s competition saw much improvement over the course of the season with some teams taking major steps to improve their programs. Overall the level of play was much improved and it showed in competitive matches from top to bottom. The conference would like to thank all teams, players, coaches, club sports administrators, referees, volunteers, and fans for making this year a success. The following are individuals whose performances stood out above the rest. 

First Team

1. Nathan Diggers (Georgia)
2. Patrick Hafenbriddle (Kentucky)
3. Daniel Depperschmidt (Alabama)
4. Wyatt Visca (Tennessee)
5. Zac Gorman (South Carolina)
6. Dana Corcoran (South Carolina)
7. Ryan Roper (Tennessee)
8. Shawn Branham (Alabama)
9. Brian Keown (South Carolina)
10. Kyle Burnett (Florida)
11. Luke Dyson (Tennessee)
12. Ross Depperschmidt( Alabama)
13. Simon Bedoya (Alabama)
14. Lee Bogitsh (Tennessee)
15. Tim Hamill (South Carolina)

Second Team

1. Jake Murphy (Tennessee)
2. Logan McNeil (Tennessee)
3. Roger Williams (Florida)
4. Alex Diaz (Florida)
5. Zach Mullineaux (South Carolina)
6. Mike Mahon (South Carolina)
7. Kyle Peterson (Kentucky)
8. Stephen Sheehan (Florida)
9. Jordan Speights (Mississippi State)
10. CJ Leadingham (Kentucky)
11. Stephen Beckerle (Florida)
12. Christian Hardy (Kentucky)
13. Christian Harrell (South Carolina)
14. Demarrion Haynes (Mississippi State)
15. Omar McClendon (Mississippi State)

11/17/2014, 10:00am ESTBy MTB

2014 All-Tournament Team Announced

South Carolina defeated Alabama 50-22 to claim its second consecutive conference championship. Using a good combination of possession and pace the Gamecocks distanced themselves from the Crimson Tide in the second half of a highly competitive contest to capture the Championship.

South Carolina upended Mississippi State 55-7 while Alabama defeated Tennessee in overtime 37-25 to set up the first fall 15s championship in SCRC history. 

Special thanks to tournament director James Farrar and all the folks in Columbia that assisted in making the championship a first class event. 

SCRC All-Tournament Team

1. Matthew Lund (Alabama)
2. Drew Busbee (South Carolina)
3. Daniel Depperschmidt (Alabama)
4. Liam Clark (Alabama)
5. Zac Gorman (South Carolina)
6. Dana Corcoran (South Carolina)
7. Ryan Roper (Tennessee)
8. Mike Mahon (South Carolina)
9. Brian Keown (South Carolina)
10. Luke Bolembach (South Carolina)
11. Lee Bogtish (Tennessee)
12. Ross Depperschmidt (Alabama)
13. Andries Both (Mississippi State)
14. Thomas Coar (South Carolina)
15. Tim Hamill (South Carolina)

11/03/2014, 1:30pm ESTBy MTB

Top 2 from SCRC play in Charlotte on Nov 21/22

High-level collegiate rugby competition comes to Charlotte, N.C. November 21-22, 2014 with the inaugural American Collegiate Rugby Championships Bowl Series. This series of matches in traditional bowl format brings the very best college rugby teams from around the country to Charlotte’s Rugby Athletic Center, a sports and events venue located just three miles from downtown.

The ACRC Bowl Series will feature eight championship bowl games over two days. Many of the participating teams are selected based on their finish in their respective collegiate conferences. The event also anticipates including local high school matches.

Details: www.acrcbowlseries.com

11/02/2014, 9:30am ESTBy MTB

Columbia SC to host SCRC Championship

The Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference is proud to announce that Columbia, South Carolina will serve as the official site for the fourth annual SCRC Championship Weekend scheduled for November 15th & 16th. The Columbia Regional Sports Council and Visitors Bureau and the University of South Carolina will be serving as the hosts, with matches to take place at the Strom Rugby Field on campus.

The following match times have been established:

Saturday, November 15
1:00 PM West #1 v East #2
3:00 PM East #1 v West #2

Sunday, November 16
1:00 PM Championship

“We welcome the Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference to ‘Famously Hot’ Columbia, SC,” states Scott Powers, Executive Director, Columbia Regional Sports Council. “While you are here I invite you to enjoy all of our wonderful attractions, museums, dining options, and incredible shopping.”

“We are proud of the accomplishments of our member teams and we thank our hosts for their gracious hospitality,” comments SCRC Commissioner Andy Allen. “We look forward to another successful championship event and we hope to see all of our SCRC supporters from the Columbia and surrounding communities come out and cheer the teams to victory.”

A new component to this year’s event will be the presence of Coaches Aid, an amateur sports broadcasting network providing live streaming, HD video recording, and on site commentary and interviews for all three matches. “We are excited to partner with Southeastern Rugby to promote their athletes, teams, and programs,” states Dean O’Neal, Executive Producer, ASBN Coaches Aid. “We look to cultivate a complete fan experience that is even more exciting and valuable to the conference and their fans.”

Last year’s contest saw South Carolina defeat Louisiana State 41-26 in the championship match, held in Knoxville, Tennessee, to win the SCRC title. Louisiana State (#1 West) had beaten Florida (#2 East) 54-27 in first semifinal, while South Carolina (#1 East) had defeated Auburn (#2 West) 41-05 in the second semifinal.

The winner of Sunday’s Championship match will receive an automatic bid to the inaugural American Collegiate Rugby Championship Bowl Series on November 22nd to be held in new state-of-the-art Rugby Athletic Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The ACRC Bowl Series will feature eight championship bowl games over three days, showcasing some of the very best college rugby teams from around the country. The SCRC champion is scheduled to face off against the champion of the Atlantic Coast Rugby League, which is expected to be a hotly contested match.

The SCRC is a USA Rugby Men’s Collegiate Division I rugby conference featuring teams from the universities in the Southeastern Conference. The league members include teams from the University of Alabama, Auburn University, University of Florida, University of Georgia, University of Kentucky, Louisiana State University, University of Mississippi, Mississippi State University, University of South Carolina, University of Tennessee, and Vanderbilt University.