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May 7, 2008
BERKELEY -
Following its May 3 national championship win over BYU, the fifth in a row and 24th overall for the program, University of California rugby continues to accumulate recognition for the team's accomplishments on and off the field.
With many postseason awards still to come, nine student-athletes - Chris Biller, Eric Fry, Gary Golding, Colin Hawley, Dustin Muhn, Rikus Pretorius, Louis Stanfill, Ryan Taylor and Joe Welch - have been tabbed All-Americans by American Rugby News.
In addition, 12 members of Cal rugby have earned the distinction as University of California Scholar Athletes, to be recognized at a May 14 campus luncheon, with a larger portion of the team set to be honored at halftime of the Nov. 1 Cal-Oregon football game for their academic achievement during the 2007-08 year.
Senior captain Pretorius was named MVP of the national championships weekend with his inspiring play from the flanker position. He and No. 8 Stanfill have been honored as the only collegians selected to participate at the U.S. National Team Elite Player Camp, an early preparatory assembly for the 2008 international season.
Junior wing Taylor, who played every minute of the national semifinal and championship on back-to-back days, scoring a total of five tries, earned the honor of Muscle Milk California Student-Athlete of the Week on May 5 .
Jack Clark was named Best Coach of the Spring by The Daily Californian May 7 after ending his 25th season as head coach with a 24-1 record, a 20th title overall and a career coaching record at Cal that now stands at 440-66-5 (.861). Coach Clark edged out Joanne Boyle, the honorable mention following her women's basketball team's third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Additional highlights of Cal rugby's 2008 season included winning its third straight UCLA Tournament, triumphing in battles for both the Scrum Axe against Stanford and the "World Cup" against UBC, and defeating Old Mission Beach Athletic Club, the 2006 Rugby Super League champion.
A tape-delayed telecast of the championship will be aired May 21 and 22 at 7:00 p.m. PST on ESPNU. Visit CalBears.com to enjoy highlights of the final following those rebroadcasts.
