National Collegiate Rugby has named its largest men’s All-American class ever, with 92 players representing 61 schools from 29 states across four divisional teams.
National Champion Brown and semifinalist St. Bonaventure are tied for the most players on the Division I list with three each. The only first-years to earn DI All-American honors are Wheeling flanker Aaron Juma and Adrian center Apenisa Sailo.
Earning DI All-American honors for the second-straight season are Brown’s co-captains, prop Daniel Archer and lock Ollie Corbett, Queens scrumhalf Hilton Olivier and St. Bonaventure No. 8 Matthew Conroy. Thomas More’s Matias Caramuti and Hudson Montgomery are also back-to-back All-Americans, having been named to the DII team last season.
In DI-AA, two-time defending champs Virginia Tech and 2022 runners-up Louisville lead the way with three players each. The Hokies are represented by club president and No. 8 Hunter Danesi, assistant coach and flyhalf Fernando Anduaga and wing Will Richey. The Cardinals should welcome three All-Americans back next fall, including junior Aaron Stevenson and sophomores Chris Jensvold and Angelo Eklou.
Tech’s Anduaga is one of just four in the division to repeat as All Americans, alongside Binghamton’s Michael Davitt, UMass’s Ibrahim Akar and North Carolina’s Luke Teixeira, though Teixeira and the Tar Heels were in Division II in 2021.
Dominating DII in the fall were the undefeated national champions of Principia College in Elsah, Illinois. The Thunderchickens are well represented on the All-American list, with No. 8 Fran Alessio, and the dynamic backline trio of Damilola Odunuga, Celino Peterson and Matoka Matoka all earning accolades. Joining them from the Gateway Conference is Central Missouri’s Charlie Mays. In just his first season playing rugby, Mays became the first Mule to earn All-American honors in more than a decade.
Returning DII All-Americans include Georgetown flyhalf Mark Kearney, Loyola’s Filippo Chiaramondia, Northern Iowa’s Jentry Staack and Norwich’s Leo Clayburgh, who’s already capped for the Belgian national team.
National Champions Cal Poly Humboldt and quarterfinalists Maine tie for the most Small College All-Americans. This group includes Small College National Champion and Finals MVP Latu Kolopeaua.
Grizzlies captain and front rower Jason Uipi is one of four returners in this division, including last year’s national champs Milaan Van Wyk and Elijah Naranjo from New Mexico Tech. Also earning consecutive nods as All Americans are Wayne State’s Sean Munemo and Seth Vallance putting both Wildcat flankers on the list along with 2x All American John Thibault of Franciscan University.
Many of the Small College selections buttressed their All-American bona fides with All-Star Accolades such as Reed Santos starting center and kicker for the Champion New England, Jerry McLarnen's two-time Pacific Coast Grizzly selection and forward's captain role, Joey O'Brien starting for the Midwest and Joe Santchi starting for MidAtlantic.
