Wake Welcomes Strong Freshman Class

The Wake Forest men's rugby team began practice this week, welcoming a very strong group of freshman to a team that returns most of its first side players from last season. A summary of the class of 2013 is below:

Drew Mehrmann is a four year player from Hong Kong. Drew was primarily a flanker for his high school team, but looks to factor in at a halfback position for Wake.

John McMurry comes to Wake from rugby powerhouse Gonzaga High School in Washington D.C. John played wing, scrumhalf, and flyhalf for a Gonzaga team that perennially finished in the top 10 in the country. He also was a starter on Gonzaga's nationally ranked soccer team. McMurry will play halfback and in the back three for Wake and will give the team the solid goalkicking presence that it was missing last year.

John Coates comes to Wake Forest from York, England, by way of Winston-Salem, where his father is a professor at Wake. John honed his rugby skills during his summers in England and is a try-scoring wing with impressive pace.

Chris Sanborn is a product of the relatively new rugby program at prestigious Delbarton High School in New Jersey. Chris will look to find time at wing and fullback for Wake.

Graham Rich is a rugby journeyman who has played in Azerbaijan, Dubai, and London. He has experience at fullback, wing, and center, and his versatility will make him extremely valuable to the Demon Deacon backline.

Ty Pierce joins the team with no rugby experience, but a very strong athletic background as a football standout for Highland Park in Dallas, TX. At 6' 3", 235 lbs, and extremely fit and skilled, Ty will challenge right away for a starting spot at prop or lock.

James Jeffrey is another freshman who joins the team with no prior rugby experience, but an impressive athletic background. James played baseball, ran track, and rowed crew in high school and will look to make the transition to rugby as an outside back.

Barrett Corrigan is a first year player, having transferred to Wake. Barrett has a wrestling background and solid build and will likely begin his rugby career in the front row.

Billy Caster is a former basketball player from Cleveland, OH whose size and skills make him well-suited for the second row. Billy is rehabbing a knee injury and looks to get on the field midway through the fall season.

At least four more Wake freshman arrived on campus with significant rugby experience but have yet to join the team. Charlie and Scott Frankel, who learned their rugby with the Second City Troop Club outside of Philadelphia, are taking the first semester to focus on their academics. Rob Kelly, a 3 year flyhalf from the Landon School in Maryland has chosen club soccer in favor of the rugby team. And Sal Scifo, a hooker with two year experience under his belt, is taking the fall away from rugby to rehab a knee injury.

The Wake coaching staff is extremely excited about this group of freshmen and looks forward to many of them making an immediate impact on the field.