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Season Preview
Fall 2015 Season Preview
By Mathew Garrison
Well ladies and gentlemen;
Rugby is back in the low country for the College of Charleston!
After having a disappointing 2014 matrix, the men’s team has begun training for the 2015-2016 season with high expectations. The Cougars are returning many upper classmen including 2014 All-Conference hooker Cody Ashy as the forwards captain; 2014 All-conference Outside Center, Marcus Rojas as the backs captain, and Nick Conners as club president, to name a few. The veterans have returned to campus in shape, in mid-season form, and hungry to get the matrix season rolling and to add more names to the all-conference list.
The start of the season has also seen the rise of new members to the club. Recruiting efforts over the spring and summer have paid off for the club, seeing a larger number of new players training hard and competing for starting spots. The club also has a larger number of freshmen who played rugby in high school, which has added to the level of play. Underclassmen who played high levels of Rugby in Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia hit the ground running and are expected to be early contributors.
The Cougars will need all hands on deck for the upcoming year. Not only will they be competing in their matrix season in the fall, they have been invited to compete in the National Small College Rugby Organization (NSCRO) Playoffs in the spring 2016. Beginning with a playoff on Nov 7 against Elon, Lander and UNC-G, the Cougars have the chance to face the Champion of the Cardinals Rugby Conference then on to the sweet 16 in April in Charlotte, NC and culminating in the National Championship game at Glendale, CO. May 1st 2016. Needless to say, there is a lot on the line for the club this year.
With a mix of veteran experience and leadership coupled with new blood and energy, the Cougar Men are slated to great things this season.
Charleston Outlaws Tour Ireland with C of C Alumni
The Charleston Outlaws just returned from their 40th Anniversary celebration tour of the Emerald Isle. Five C of C Alumni made the trek hailing from as far away as Anchorage, Alaska. The Outlaws brought two full squads, a competitive side and an Old Boys Side, each with two matches scheduled. Although they could not come up with any wins, each match was close and the hitting from the Americans was far superior.
C of C Alumni on the tour:
Fall 2013 Matrix Match Against Coastal
The Cougars lost a hard fought matrix match against Coastal last weekend 38-15. The team put up a big fight in the first half but fitness was their downfall as Coastal pulled away.
Fall Matrix Kickoff @ The Yard This Saturday
THIS SATURDAY, C of C Rugby kicks off their Matrix Season @ The Yard on James Island (See LINK below for directions). Come out and support the Cougars as they begin their trek towards the playoffs!
1:00 pm: Women’s Rugby hosts UNCC
3:00 pm: Men’s Rugby hosts Coastal Carolina
August 2013 Alumni Newsletter
Gentleman,
With the summer heat starting to abate (at least here in DC), the NFL back our on TVs, and the College team getting ready for the coming season, it’s time to reminisce about our college rugby glory days for a few minutes; here’s your Summer ’13 alumni newsletter…
* 15’s Season on the Move
* Spring Season Overview
* Alumni Weekend
* New Website!
* Like us on Facebook
* Details, details, details
* Fall Schedule
* Alumni Updates
* Alumni Association Update / Membership (Important – Read This!)
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15s Season on the Move
Over the past year there had been musings that the collegiate season for 15s could be moved to the fall to better align the southern conferences as part of the USA Rugby collegiate realignment. This spring this came to pass and the CofC team now plays in the Southern Rugby Conference. The conference is broken down into three regional divisions:
Coastal: Coastal Carolina, UNC-W, CofC, Citadel
Piedmont: UNC-G, Elon, UNC-C, Eastern Carolina
Mountain: Furman, Appalachian State, Lander, Western Carolina
More information about the conference can be found here – http://www.
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Spring Season Overview
In what was a rebuilding year for the college team, we saw some strong development in key areas with players such as Thomas Smith (current President), Kendrick Evans, and Marcus Johnson all being named to the SoCon All-Star team. On the field the team grew as the season progressed, which culminated in the traditional beating of the Citadel in a close 14-13 CofC win. This was just the latest in a string of wins over our neighbors and keeps the Holy City Cup in the hands of the good guys for another year.
A full schedule result will be added to the website shortly.
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Alumni Weekend
Due to the matrix season moving to the fall, alumni weekend will be moved to the Spring. Although this is a change from our usual gathering, it allows us to maximize the number of former players that can attend. More details will be sent out later in the year, so keep in shape (looking at you Logan) and get ready to put another pounding on the college boys.
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New Website
Over the summer, former President Sam Cook has been working hard to develop a new website for the team. The results are pretty amazing, especially for a college team, and are part of a strategy to develop the CofC Rugby brand with the aim to attract more sponsors that will help grow the club.
The structure rivals any other collegiate club team’s site and is better than many of the pro club sites. If you have any comments, match photos, or ideas to improve the site, send them along to alumni@cofcmensrugby.com. If you haven’t seen it yet check it out here: www.CofCMensRugby.com
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Like us on Facebook
As part of our effort the expand the recognition of the club, we have a new Facebook ‘fan’ page. Please take a moment to ‘like’ it. You won’t get hundreds of posts, but occasional club updates and it helps us show potential sponsors the large support we have – invite a friend to like it too!
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Details, Details, Details
We hope you enjoy getting these updates and enjoy being a part of the alumni rugby tradition. If you haven’t updated you info recently, please take a moment to let us know your contact details and a little about your CofC rugby past. It’s only 10 short questions, and it’s all on one page!
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Fall Schedule
Anyone in Charleston come along and see the team play! The matrix schedule will be:
September 28 – Home vs. Coastal
October 5 – Away vs. App State
November 2 – Away vs. UNCW
November 9 – Final Four
November 16 – Conference Finals
Keep an eye on the website for schedule updates.
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Alumni Updates
Logan Honeycutt married longtime (suffering) girlfriend Erika Lindroth in Charleston this summer. Many alumni were in attendance.
Todd Burnaford and Allie Stack tied the knot in a ceremony in NJ.
Jon Hansen married Shauna Ford in a waterside ceremony.
Kyle Pudney and Kate were married this summer.
Andy Evans and his wife are celebrating the first birthday of their daughter, Molly.
Kevin Coco and his wife are living in Northern Virginia and will be welcoming a son in October.
Lawson Ballard is getting his Masters in Teaching, and coaching USC’s B side
Cullen Lea saved 15% by switching to GEICO
Christopher McMullin is living in Philadelphia and working as an attorney for Kent/McBride P.C.
David Bethel is living in the Bahamas playing with fish – check out his Fat Tuesdays if you’re down there!
Chris Sigmund (Grandpa) trained with the USA Eagles during a scrimmage at the Citadel
If you have updates for our next newsletter, let me know.
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Alumni Association Update / Membership
As the Alumni Association enters it’s second year, we are developing the structure to grow fundamental areas of the club. Funds raised through the association will be used to strengthen three key areas of the club – Training (through equipment), Performance (through scholarships to recruit better players), and Sustainability (through long-term goals such as finding field space and growing club resources).
The majority of this work will be achieved through club sponsorship and donations. The association is seeking to become a 501(C)(3) non-profit to allow this support to become tax deductible.
Alumni are invited to join in the growth and development of the club through becoming Members. Membership is set at a modest $25 ($15 for first-year alumni) with the membership year starting with the fall season (September to August). Alumni whose means allow are encouraged to invest more than the membership amount (and will be recognized as such on our website). Participation in the alumni weekend game requires current membership.
Membership can be paid by check or paypal (preferred) – donation@cofcmensrugby.com or click the link on the membership page: www.cofcmensrugby.com/
If you have any questions about membership, would like to make a larger donation, or find out more about the long-term strategy of the alumni association, please contact me.
Before the next alumni game we will be emailing out a detailed strategy on our short, medium, and long term plans.
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Thank you to everyone who has helped grow the club and continues to work to promote the game of rugby at the college.
Until next time,
Rupert “Pip” Munro ’10
Practice Starts Monday 26AUG13
Practice officially starts on Monday, 26AUG13 @ 4:00 PM! Let’s get the season started off right and get right back into rugby. For more information check out the Practice Information page. The first Matrix match is only one month away so all the incoming freshman need to get up to speed quick.
Former C of C Player Dresses Out For The Eagles
Former C of C Rugger Chris “Grandpa” Sigmund ’06 (pictured second from the right), dressed out last Friday for the Eagles, the US National Rugby Team, warm up match against Life University. The match was held on the parade ground at the Citadel and gave locals the chance to see the national team up close. Chris played most of the second half at wing and although he did not score, he was involved in quite a few plays near the try line. Congratulations to Chris and his upcoming season as one of the back leaders on the Charleston Outlaws RFC.
USA vs Canade and SoCon All Stars
The Southern Rugby Conference would like to announce the first conference all-star team. The team is comprised of members from the majority of Division II teams in the conference, including (alphabetically): App State, Citadel, College of Charleston, Coastal Carolina, Elon, Furman, Lander, UNCC, UNCG, and UNCW. Coaches for the side include UNCW’s Jim Wiseman and Coastal Carolina’s Robert Kegler. The team will be hosted by Lt. Col. Bill Bell of the Citadel. As the official apparel provider of the Southern Conference, Darren Scott and DNA Sport will supply the kits for the team.
The team will compete against the Deep South Conference All Starts on the weekend of August 17th in Charleston, alongside the USA Eagles test against Canada. “The all star match is a great opportunity to showcase the high performance rugby that is epitomized by southern schools at the D-II level,” said Coach Wiseman. “This is a big step forward for rugby competition in the south and the Southern Rugby Conference,” Wiseman continued, “and we look forward to the challenge that awaits.” Below is a list of the of the all-star selections, followed by a link at the bottom to a google spreadsheet that includes the hometowns of each player. Congratulations to all players and coaches for the selection and good luck in Charleston!
Dylan Reid App State Thomas Smith CofC Chris Campion Citadel Joe Bruce Citadel Andrew Midgette UNCW Nick Rossano Furman Zaefala Anderson CCU Andrew Alvarado Citadel Graham Joseph UNCW Scott McClellan UNCW Denzil Mutongi App State Tyler Stiffler CCU John Marshall UNCG Thomas Barnett CCU Kendrick Evans CofC Dave Carrol Elon Michael Markofski App State Amro Guda UNCC Johnathon Fonville Elon Marcus Johnson CofC Chris Miledge UNCC Eric Dolan Furman Turner Morsches Furman Josh Cabrera Lander Halley Gartner Elon Coaches: Jim Wiseman UNCW, Robert Kegler CCU, Lt. Col. William Bell Citadel
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AkQ9fwDHq6UUdDdWOHlreWRZRHYzRkdlZ0NaLUJFUXc&usp=sharing
Competitive 15s Competition Moved to Fall
The Southern Rugby Conference has decided to move its competitive Division II season to the fall and will drop the Division III competition structure for the 2013-14 season.
Members of the commissioner’s cabinet voted unanimously earlier this month to shift the competitive season as a wave of Division II conferences opted to do the same and USA Rugby announced plans for Division II national championship weekend, tentatively scheduled Dec. 7-8 at Furman University.
“Playing our matrix in the fall presents some scheduling conflicts with a number of our members,” says SRC Commissioner John Roberts. “This is a national movement, though, and we feel it is in our best interest to adapt the best we can.”
The SRC champion will be determined by November 16. The fall schedule has been posted online at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AjvO8e0qQzc4dFY5TTUzRHVUZWtscDU2cmoxSHF3MkE&usp=sharing .