Last weekend, some of the best collegiate rugby squads from the Southeast dealt with changing weather conditions as they competed for a spot in the round of 16 at the MTSU Sports Complex.
The field included 12 men’s and eight women’s teams that made the trip to Murfreesboro for the South Collegiate Rugby Championships. The men’s tournament was broken up into three divisions, while the women’s was contested in two. By the end of the weekend, several teams advanced to the next round of the USA Rugby National Championships.
Weather played a big factor with the March 27 semifinal action played under sunny skies, but a damp field from the previous night’s rain. However, more wet weather fell that evening and turned the fields for the finals on March 28 into a mud bog. Appalachian State, the men’s Division II champion, celebrated their victory by turning the field into their personal slip-n-slide.
Arkansas State defeated Tennessee 35-14 in the men’s Division I championship in which the Volunteers wore all-white jerseys that quickly turned brown as soon as one of the players was tackled to the turf.
Both teams advanced to the round of 16, which begins April 16.
In the women’s Division I finals, North Carolina, who was coached by former MTSU rugby player Johnathan Atkeison, knocked off Clemson 20-0. Atkeison played for the Moosemen from 2002-05.
“The conditions were kind of rough for everybody today,” Atkeison said. “The mud is hard to play in, it makes the ball slippery. It makes it hard to really play a wide-open dynamic game. Credit goes to our girls as they adapted to it and were able to find a way to play into our game plan even under the conditions.”
North Carolina was the only women’s team their division team to move on to the next round, which starts April 17. |
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Scores from the South Collegiate Championships
Held March 27-28, 2010
Division I
Men’s Semifinals:
• Arkansas State 64,
South Carolina 10
• Tennessee 13, Florida 10
Men’s Finals:
• Arkansas State 35,
Tennessee 14
Women’s Semifinals:
• Clemson 27, Central Florida 3
• North Carolina 15, Georgia 0
Women’s Finals:
• North Carolina 20, Clemson 0
Division II
Men’s Semifinals:
• Appalachian State 27,
Kennesaw State 12
• North Carolina State 32,
Georgia Tech 3
Men’s Final:
• Appalachian State 17,
North Carolina State 0
Women’s Semifinals:
• East Carolina 28,
South Florida 5
• Lee 17,
College of Charleston 10
Women’s Finals:
• East Carolina 29, Lee 7
Division III (Men only)
Semifinals:
• Louisiana-Lafayette 39,
University of the South 17
• Coastal Carolina 38,
UNC Greensboro 5
Finals:
• Louisiana-Lafayette 14,
Coastal Carolina 0 |
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