Many Honored at Year End Awards Banquet

Seven of Wake's Nine Graduating Seniors After Their Final Game Against Virginia Tech Last Weekend

The Wake Forest men's rugby team held its annual year end awards banquet on Sunday night on campus at "the Barn."  The team honored its nine graduating seniors, the largest graduating class that the team has had in almost a decade.  The team also recognized a number of individuals who played key roles in the program's success this year, including team physicians Dr. Neil Sparks and Dr. John Lucas, Wake Forest Stregnth and Conditioning Coach Ethan Reeve, and faculty advisor Dr. Bill Marcum.

The team also said thanks and goodbye to assistant coach Rob Duryea, who is graduating from the Wake Forest MBA program and is moving with his family to Iowa, where he will be working in an executive position with Target.  Coach Rob was a huge asset to the team over the past year and a half, motivating and instilling confidence in the players and helping to develop a backline that produced four All-ACRL honorees this season.

Finally, the team presented its own awards for standout performances over the course of the 2011-2012 season.  Award winners were:

Rookie of the Year: Christian Gutowski
Most Improved Player: Robert Elmore
Most Valuable Back: Johnny McMurray
Most Valuable Forward: Matt Storck
Most Valuable Player: Brendan Shea