May 10, 2017
Clayton To – The Claremont Colleges: MVP 2017 NSCRO Champions Cup
Photo: Steve Oathout – (L) 2017 NSCRO Men’s 15s Champions Cup MVP, Clayton To of The Claremont Colleges with USA Rugby CEO, Dan Payne (Top Left) 2017 Champions Cup Heart & Soul Winners (LSUA not pictured) (Top Right) 2017 Champions Cup Most Impressive Tackler Winners (LSUA not pictured) (Bottom Right) All Championship XV Team (LSUA not pictured)
National Small College Rugby Organization Release: May 10, 2017
Medford, NJ 10 May 2017 – Following the 2017 NSCRO Champions Cup National Championship at Infinity Park in Glendale, CO on 30 April 2017, Stephen Cohen, president of NSCRO, presented the following awards:
Most Valuable Player (best overall player during the event)
Clayton To, The Claremont Colleges
Heart & Soul Awards
NSCRO custom match ball is given to a player on each team who was been an inspiration and significant contributor to the club on and off the field. The match ball is signed by his teammates in appreciation of what he has meant to their club. The recipients were:
The Claremont Colleges – Frankie Reyis
Xavier University – Matt Flynn
Tufts University – Jed McKinney
Louisiana State University Alexandria – Eoin Keenan
Most Impressive Tackler Awards
A fit kit from NSCRO partner Impact Protection for a free custom mouthguard was presented to the player who tackled everything in sight. The recipients were:
The Claremont Colleges – Spencer Swensrud
Xavier University – Brett Moore
Tufts University – Henry Seidel
Louisiana State University Alexandria – Lukem Beaumont
NSCRO “All Championship XV”
NSCRO recognized the 15 “best” players by position. Each player received a custom NSCRO t-shirt courtesy of Rhino Rugby recognizing their selection. See the list below of the selected players.
| POSITION | PLAYER | SCHOOL |
|---|---|---|
| MVP | Clayton To | The Claremont Colleges |
| 1 – Prop | Anthony Portelas | Louisiana State University Alexandria |
| 2 – Hooker | Omar Rodriguez | The Claremont colleges |
| 3 – Prop | Matt Flynn | Xavier University |
| 4 – 2nd Row | Sean Pyne | The Claremont Colleges |
| 5 – 2nd Row | Nick Urban | The Claremont Colleges |
| 6 – Back Row | Kadis Simmons | Louisiana State University Alexandria |
| 7 – Back Row | Clayton To | The Claremont Colleges |
| 8 – Back Row | Jacob Garrell | Tufts University |
| 9 – Scrumhalf | Rodrigo Mejias | The Claremont Colleges |
| 10 – Flyhalf | Brendan MacDonald | The Claremont Colleges |
| 11 – Wing | Spencer Swensrud | The Claremont Colleges |
| 12 – Center | Lukem Beaumont | Louisiana State University Alexandria |
| 13 – Center | Shane Pico | The Claremont Colleges |
| 14 – Wing | Gator Adams | The Claremont Colleges |
| 15 – Full | Danny Gresser | Xavier University |
Trophies were also given to each of the teams, along with medals for each of the players on the top three finishing teams (gold – first place, silver – second place, bronze – third place). All teams were also provided gift certificates, courtesy of Rhino Rugby ($500 – first place, $250 – second place, $150 – third place, $100 – fourth place).
Photos of the Heart & Soul and Most Impressive Tackler are available on our website, www.nscro.org/photogallery.
About National Small College Rugby Organization
By focusing on small colleges and universities, we help bring these schools, their teams and players exposure outside of their conference/union while also giving them a chance at a national title and ranking. NSCRO provides a responsive national organization dedicated to small colleges and universities which has helped legitimize rugby in the eyes of school administrators. The increased visibility and recognition from NSCRO has led to better school support, greater on-campus interest in rugby and more alumni involvement.
For more information, visit www.nscro.org and follow us on facebook.com/nscrorugby, @nscrorugby on Twitter and @nscrorugby on Instagram.
