April 22, 2002
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GOING BACK EAST: The Cal rugby team (17-0) will travel to Virginia Beach, VA, May 4-5, to take part in the Division I Collegiate Rugby Championship tournament. The Bears will face Army (13-4) in a single-elimination semifinal match on Saturday May 4 at 2:00 p.m. (EST). A win on Saturday would advance Cal to the national championship match on Sunday, May 5 at 2:00 p.m. (EST), to face the winner of the other semifinal contest between Wyoming and Utah, taking place on Saturday May 4 at 4:30 p.m. (EST). (For complete bracket information log on to www.usarugby.com.) The consolation match on Sunday, May 5 will take place at 11:30 a.m. (EST). This is the 12th consecutive Final Four appearance for the Bears and the fourth in a row for Army. In 2001, Cal marched through Virginia Tech, Air Force, Navy and Penn State en route to their 11th consecutive national championship and 14th in the championship's 21-year history.
SCOUTING ARMY: Army finished the Spring 2002 regular season with an 11-4 record after going 9-1 in the Fall 2001 campaign. Army outscored their opponents 455-102, giving them an average margin of victory of nearly 24 points. In the spring, Army's A-side lost to Ohio State 20-15, but collected impressive victories over 2002 Sweet 16 qualifiers Virginia Tech and Penn State. Army won the 2002 Pool D bracket over the weekend in West Point, NY. In the first round, Army defeated Virginia Tech, 37-7, in a match that saw Army take a 27-0 lead before the Hokies were able to get on the board. Army's next match in the Elite Eight pitted them against Saint Mary's, the Pacific Division No. 2 seed, who easily defeated Cal Poly in the first round, 36-7. With the score 18-13 in Army's favor, the Cadets went on to score 12 unanswered points to seal the 30-13 victory over the Gaels and advance to the Final Four for the fourth consecutive year. In the 2001 collegiate championship, Army lost to Penn State, 27-25, in the semifinal matchup while dropping a 34-22 decision to Navy in the consolation final.
SENIORS PLAY LAST HOME MATCH: Fifth-year seniors Kort Schubert, Chris Miller, Jason Forney and Justin Parkhurst as well as seniors Dave Guest and Brent Vickers played their final home game Sunday at Witter Rugby Field, in the 62-6 Elite Eight victory over Ohio State. The Bears' seniors received a standing ovation from the near capacity crowd at the end of the game. "Watching (the seniors) walk off the field, knowing it's their last time, it was tough," head coach Jack Clark said. "But we just bought ourselves another two weeks together, and we've got a lot of work to do."
HEAD COACH JACK CLARK OPTS TO STAY AT CAL: Jack Clark, arguably the greatest coach in United States college rugby history, has declined an offer to become director of rugby for England's professional Bath Rugby Club and will remain at the University of California as head coach, Cal Athletic Director Steve Gladstone announced today. Clark, whose Golden Bears swept past Middle Tennessee State and Ohio State last weekend to advance to the national Final Four May 4-5 in Virginia Beach, Va., has directed Cal to an unprecedented 11 straight national championships and 14 titles during his 19 years at the helm. "We are extremely happy and relieved to learn of Jack's decision," said Gladstone. "One of our highest priorities for Cal athletics is to attract and retain the best coaches in the country, and Jack Clark certainly is a prime example. He has developed a rugby program that is unrivaled in college sports today, and we are grateful that he chose to continue his great work at California." Clark, who has engineered a 17-0 season to date, arrived at his decision during the weekend. "At the end of the day, I realized that Cal is where I wanted to continue my work," said Clark. "And by work, I'm not just referring to collecting championship hardware, but more specifically, my role in the personal development of our players."
