University of Louisville

04/29/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 04/29/2024 10:39

UofL Rugby Club wins championship

UofL Rugby Club wins DI Collegiate Rugby Championship. (Photo: collegiaterugbychampionship.com)

The University of Louisville Rugby Club has secured the Collegiate Rugby Championship DI national title. The Cardinals' top player, Liam Johnson also secured a spot on the All-Tournament team along with six of his fellow DI super stars:

  • Sean O'Donnell - Purdue
  • Luke Mathis - Tennessee
  • Craig Jablonski - NC State
  • Felix Olivero - Florida
  • Logan Lair - Missouri
  • Paul Habeeb - San Diego

Louisville came out strong in the East region by running through the bracket, and shutting out NC State in the Cup Final, 29-0. Liam Johnson got the scoring going quickly, utilizing the referee's advantage call on a knock-on and dotting it down for a try. Both defenses then stiffened up until the very end of the half, when Jack Eberle scored a try to put Louisville up 10-0 at the break. In the second half, Angelo Eklo scored back-to-back tries to increase the Cardinal's lead to 24-0. Johnson, who would be named the game's MVP, scored one more try to put a bow on the win for Louisville.

The two seventh seeds who made it to the semifinals, Florida and Tennessee, hoped to extend their underdog runs into the finals but, in the end, were unsuccessful in playing spoiler. The Gators had many offensive chances, but miscues and difficulties with ball handling, due in part to some sustained periods of rain, did not help their cause. Their opponent, NC State, played strong defense and took advantage of Florida's mistakes, crossing the whitewash twice in a 12-0 win.

The next semi final also ended in a 12-0 victory, this time with Louisville pitching the shoutout over the Volunteers. Again, the rain played a factor in the game, with both teams struggling to find footing offensively. In the end, Louisville came away with the win thanks to tries by Eklo and Danny Bombard.

The men's Collegiate Rugby Championship tournament was held at the Maryland SoccerPlex April 26-27.

Story credit: this story first appeared on the Collegiate Rugby Championship website.

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