With the start of the fall men’s Division I-AA season nearly upon us, the Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference is again expected to be one of the toughest leagues in the country, with three teams ranked in the top five of the preseason poll. Defending national champion Kentucky comes in at No. 1, followed by Tennessee at No. 2 and South Carolina at No. 4. Joining the SCRC this fall and targeting a bowl appearance is Texas A&M, a traditional powerhouse of collegiate rugby in the Lone Star State.
The Wildcats are led by one of the nation’s most decorated underclassmen in flanker Holden Hahn. The sophomore spent the summer helping the USA U20s finish second to host Scotland at the Junior World Trophy. Tennessee and South Carolina both enjoyed huge recruiting hauls, and unranked Alabama returns a gamebreaker in scrumhalf Tom Kendall, who went undefeated touring France with the NCR All-Americans.
Last year’s runner up, Louisville, enters the season ranked third. The Cardinals graduated some serious talent, but also returned the likes of All-American fullback Ryan Cammarata, who spent part of his summer playing in 7s in London with National Athletic Village. He’ll be supported by a big incoming freshman class.
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Eager to win the MAC crown back from the Cardinals is Bowling Green. The Falcons, led by a pair of All-Americans in senior No. 8 Phil Tracey and deep-three Joey Apel, and bolstered by a sizable freshman class with significant rugby experience, travel to Louisville for a crucial matchup October 19. They’ll be battle tested after a grueling non-conference slate of Michigan August 31, Notre Dame September 14, and Maryland September 28.
The ninth-ranked Terrapins are nipping at the heels of defending champion Virginia Tech in the Mid-Atlantic, as is 2021 national runner-up West Chester. That conference is up for grabs, as the Hokies have graduated a pair of All-Americans in Will Richey and Hunter Danesi, though they remain firmly in the Top 10 at No. 6.
No. 10 UMass narrowly lost to Virginia Tech in the quarterfinals last season, and with All-Americans returning in second row Arthur Dehareng and center Derek Tang, the Minutemen are a dark horse contender for the national title. First, they’ll have to stave off Liberty Conference foes Boston College, Northeastern and Yale, who open the season just outside the Top 10.
In the Southern Conference, 2023 quarterfinalist N.C. State enters the season as the favorite. The Wolfpack open their campaign September with a big non-conference home test against No. 4 South Carolina.The conference decider may well be the Tobacco Road rivalry match against North Carolina November 1.
