Wednesday, August 29, 2012
UNC-G Withdrawal Forces Another Schedule Change
UNC-G notified Wake Forest earlier this week that it no longer intended to honor its commitment to a joint training session and scrimmage on September 15. The Demon Deacons will instead now be travelling to Johnson City, TN on Sunday, September 16 to participate in some 7s scrimmages with the University of Tennessee.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Fall Schedule Sees Some Late Changes
Wake Forest has voluntarily withdrawn from the Blackburg, VA leg of the Atlantic Coast Invitational 7s Series because the Sept. 15th tournament received more applications for participation than spots available. Head coach Patrick Kane, who is also the Commissioner of the ACRL, said that while Wake was excited to be playing in Blacksburg, it made sense to withdraw Wake from the tournament in order to accommodate the participation of another non-ACRL team. Instead, the Demon Deacons will be playing a contolled scrimmage with UNC-G at home that day.
Additionally, the format for Alumni Weekend has been modified slightly and instead of playing 7s, the current players will be facing off against the alumni in a series of 10s matches.
Additionally, the format for Alumni Weekend has been modified slightly and instead of playing 7s, the current players will be facing off against the alumni in a series of 10s matches.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
NAVY JOINS THE ATLANTIC COAST RUGBY LEAGUE
GREENSBORO, NC (June 13, 2012) – The United States Naval Academy’s men’s rugby team has joined the Atlantic Coast Rugby League effective immediately, league commissioner Patrick Kane announced today. Navy will play in this fall’s Atlantic Coast Rugby Sevens Championship and compete in the ACRL beginning in the spring 2013 conference 15s season. The addition of Navy to the ACRL will keep the conference at eight teams, as Georgia Tech voluntarily terminated its membership in the conference following the 2012 conference season.
The inclusion of Navy in the ACRL is significant, as it marks the first time that a team from a school not in the Atlantic Coast Conference has been admitted to the now three year old league. Said Kane of the inclusion of the Midshipmen, “While we founded this conference to be the rugby analog to the ACC, adding the United States Naval Academy to our membership was really a no-brainer. They have a tremendous rugby history, great support from their university, and most importantly they are a perfect fit for our conference’s geographic and academic footprint. There are very few teams from non-ACC schools that I think we would even consider opening the door for, but Navy was certainly one of them.”
Navy comes to the ACRL after two years in the College Premier Division/Division 1-A of USA Rugby where they made the quarterfinals in 2011 and barely missed out on a playoff berth in 2012. However, uncertainty with the direction of that competition led Navy’s administration to look at other options. “The Atlantic Coast Rugby League was an incredibly attractive opportunity for us,” said Navy’s long-time Head Coach Mike Flanagan. “The conference is comprised of teams from like-minded and similarly situated academic institutions and we are excited to begin, and in some cases rekindle, rivalries on the rugby field with these schools.”
With the addition of Navy and the departure of Georgia Tech, the ACRL immediately becomes a much more competitive conference from top to bottom, as Georgia Tech had won only one conference game in two years. “We are disappointed to see Georgia Tech leave, but we understand that they need to do what they feel best for their program,” said Kane. “They will still be heavily involved with our Atlantic Coast Rugby Invitational 7s Series and will continue to compete in our 7s championship. We are hopeful that at some point they will rejoin the ACRL as a full member, competing in both 7s and 15s.”
The Atlantic Coast Rugby League, the Atlantic Coast Invitational Rugby 7s Series, and the Atlantic Coast Rugby 7s Championship are not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The inclusion of Navy in the ACRL is significant, as it marks the first time that a team from a school not in the Atlantic Coast Conference has been admitted to the now three year old league. Said Kane of the inclusion of the Midshipmen, “While we founded this conference to be the rugby analog to the ACC, adding the United States Naval Academy to our membership was really a no-brainer. They have a tremendous rugby history, great support from their university, and most importantly they are a perfect fit for our conference’s geographic and academic footprint. There are very few teams from non-ACC schools that I think we would even consider opening the door for, but Navy was certainly one of them.”
Navy comes to the ACRL after two years in the College Premier Division/Division 1-A of USA Rugby where they made the quarterfinals in 2011 and barely missed out on a playoff berth in 2012. However, uncertainty with the direction of that competition led Navy’s administration to look at other options. “The Atlantic Coast Rugby League was an incredibly attractive opportunity for us,” said Navy’s long-time Head Coach Mike Flanagan. “The conference is comprised of teams from like-minded and similarly situated academic institutions and we are excited to begin, and in some cases rekindle, rivalries on the rugby field with these schools.”
With the addition of Navy and the departure of Georgia Tech, the ACRL immediately becomes a much more competitive conference from top to bottom, as Georgia Tech had won only one conference game in two years. “We are disappointed to see Georgia Tech leave, but we understand that they need to do what they feel best for their program,” said Kane. “They will still be heavily involved with our Atlantic Coast Rugby Invitational 7s Series and will continue to compete in our 7s championship. We are hopeful that at some point they will rejoin the ACRL as a full member, competing in both 7s and 15s.”
The Atlantic Coast Rugby League, the Atlantic Coast Invitational Rugby 7s Series, and the Atlantic Coast Rugby 7s Championship are not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Wake Forest Releases Fall 7s Schedule
The Wake Forest men's rugby team will be playing a full slate of Rugby 7s tournaments this fall in the Atlantic Coast Invitation Rugby Sevens Series, culminating in the Atlantic Coast Rugby Sevens Championships in Virginia Beach on October 27-28. This will be the first year that the team has focused on Rugby 7s almost exclusively in the fall, as the Olympic version of the sport continues to gain popularity at the collegiate level.
Wake Forest Fall 7s Schedule
Sept. 15: ACI 7s Series, Blacksburg, VA
Sept. 22: Homecoming Weekend Alumni Sevens tournament, Wake Forest
Sept. 29-30: ACI 7s Series, Greensboro, NC
Oct. 13: ACI 7s Series, Atlanta, GA
Oct. 27-28: Atlantic Coast Rugby Sevens Championship, Virginia Beach, VA
Monday, April 30, 2012
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
Seven Wake Players Named to All-Conference Teams, Kane Named Coach of the Year
Junior Johnny McMurray named First Team All-ACRL for the Second Consecutive Year
http://www.atlanticcoastrugby.com/1/post/2012/04/2012-atlantic-coast-rugby-league-all-conference-teams-and-award-winners-named.html
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Rugby team wins Pump Up For Piccolo
Senior Ben Cohen and Sophomore Ryan Tacon won the annual Pump Up for Piccolo strength event put on by the football team and Pi Kappa Alpha as a cancer fundraiser. Teaming up with two football players, Cohen and Tacon dominated the bench press, tire flip, and other events en route to their victory.
http://www.wakeforestsports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/042512aaa.html
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