California rugby's Rand Santos and Solomon Williams have been named 2025 Rudy Scholz Award nominees. The Golden Bear duo joins 20 other men's rugby players from across the nation on the nomination list for recognition as the best collegiate men's rugby player of the year.
 
Among the 22 nominated, fans have the opportunity to help narrow down the list to a group of finalists via an open vote through April 7 at 11 p.m PT. The winner will then be selected by a panel of coaches and media and honored at an annual gala event in Seattle later this summer. The Rudy Scholz Award – which is named after two-time Olympic gold medalist and USA rugby legend Rudy Scholz – was established in 2016 and is sponsored and presented by the Washington Athletic Club of Seattle.
 
Cal juniors Santos and Williams are the ninth and tenth Bears to be nominated for the award since its creation. They join fellow junior Cade Crist, who was a 2024 nominee, and Cal alumni Max Schumacher (2023), Sam Golla ('22), Sam Cusano ('20), Nic Mirhashem ('19), Kevin Sullivan ('18), Russell Webb ('17) and Anthony Salaber ('17) in the list of previous nominees. Schumacher and Golla were both selected as award finalists.
 
Santos has been a starting player for the Bears since his career began in Berkeley, earning a place in Cal's starting lineup in his debut season in 2023. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound back has made 33 starts in 15-a-side contests over the last three seasons, including Cal's appearance in the 2023 national title match as a freshman. Santos is a versatile back who has featured as a center, fullback and flyhalf for the Bears.
 
Santos made his international debut with the U.S. National Team this past fall. He played his first match as an Eagles' reserve in the 2024 Pacific Nations Cup on Sept. 14 against Fiji. Prior to that, he featured for the U.S. junior side, most recently at the 2024 U20 World Rugby Trophy tournament in Edinburgh, Scotland this past summer. Santos was named to the D1A All-American First Team in 2024.
 
Williams also got the call to the Bears' first-15 as a freshman in 2023, and has since made 32 appearances for Cal. He has logged 27 career starts, including a first-15 nod in the Bears' title match in 2023. The 5-foot-8, 175-pound scrumhalf has been connecting the Bears' forwards and backs in the No. 9 shirt his entire collegiate career. Williams is a strong vocal presence on the pitch and has been a consistent contributor to Cal's success.
 
Williams has also represented the U.S. on its U20 side, featuring in the last two U20 World Rugby Trophy tournaments. He was named to the D1A All-America First Team in 2024.
 
"Sol and Rand have both had really exceptional junior campaigns," Cal head coach Jack Clark said. "Cade Crist, Charlie Walsh and Max Threlkeld have also been lights out for us. We are proud of Solomon and Rand for being nominated."
 
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