Due to Hurricane Milton, the Tennessee-Florida rugby game has been canceled.
Tennessee was slated to host Florida in rugby on Friday and in football on Saturday. Due to Hurricane Milton, Friday’s Tennessee-Florida rugby contest has been canceled in Knoxville.
“Hurricane Milton has upended our plans to host Florida on Friday night,” Tennessee rugby announced. “Florida is not able to travel to Knoxville, so the match has been canceled.”
The Vols are slated to host Florida in football on Saturday at Neyland Stadium. Kickoff between Tennessee and the Gators is scheduled for 7 p.m. EDT and will be televised by ESPN.
Tennessee rugby will next host Alabama on Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. EDT ahead of the Vols-Crimson Tide football game at Neyland Stadium on Oct. 19 (3:30 p.m. EDT, ABC).
Tennessee rugby announces 2024 recruiting class ahead of fall season.
Tennessee will kick off its 2024 fall rugby season on Aug. 24 with an Orange & White scrimmage.
The Vols will open regular-season play, hosting Queens, on Sept. 6.
Tennessee is also scheduled to play two road contests at Thomas More (Sept. 13) and Rio Grande (Sept. 14) before hosting Texas A&M for family weekend on Sept. 21.
Tennessee will host Florida (Oct. 11) and Alabama (Oct. 18) before SCRC playoffs on Oct. 26.
All home games will be contested at RecSports Fields at Sutherland except for the Vols’ match against Texas A&M. Tennessee and the Aggies will play at Tennessee Rugby Park.
Tennessee rugby announces 2024 recruiting class
Tennessee rugby finalized its 2024 recruiting class with 22 student-athletes (14 freshmen, eight transfers) for the 2024-2025 academic year. This season marks the 55th of men’s rugby on the campus of the University of Tennessee. Head coach Scott Tungay enters his third season as the Vols’ head coach.
“We are excited to get back on campus and begin training,” Tungay said. “With 50 experienced players returning and a recruiting class ready to contribute, we look forward to a very exciting fall season.”
Tennessee’s incoming class consists of accomplished rugby players at both the high school and collegiate level, as well as some promising crossover athletes. The freshmen class includes 10 players who come from state finalist programs, one player for the NAI 7s champions (Rebels Rugby Academy), and one player from Charlotte Cardinals 15s national championship program. In total, Tennessee’s incoming players are from 14 different states.
Freshmen
Aidan Decker – Wing / Christian Brothers HS / Memphis, Tennessee
Alex Samson – Fullback / St Xavier HS / Cincinnati, Ohio
Brady Calkins – 8 Man / Oliver Ames HS / North Easton, Massachusetts
Charles Seemann – Wing / Jesuit HS + NOLA Gold Academy / New Orleans, Louisiana
Erasmo Cortez – Flanker / Christian Brothers HS / Memphis, Tennessee
Erik Fontanella – Flanker / Pelham Memorial HS / Pelham, New York
Eric McIlrath – Center / Paideia Academy + Knoxville Youth Rugby / Knoxville, Tennessee
Landon Arsenault – Center / Fairfield Ludlowe HS / Fairfield, Connecticut
Mathias Di Si – Flanker / New Trier Township HS / Glencoe, Illinois
Nathan Rawls – Flanker / Marvin Ridge HS + Charlotte Cardinals / Waxhaw, North Carolina
Niko Zaharas – Flanker / Columbine HS + Valor Rugby / Littleton, Colorado
Peter Wilson – Second Row / Christian Brothers HS / Memphis, Tennessee
Ryan Markham – Second Row / Monacan HS + Richmond Strikers Rugby / Richmond, Virginia
Jack Folvig – 8 Man / Riverview HS + Sarasota Surge Rugby / Sarasota, Florida
Transfers
Alex Plese – Pellissippi State CC / Tennessee Rugby Academy / Knoxville, Tennessee
Anthony Reed – 8 Man / St. Ambrose University/Glen Ellyn Rugby / Addison, Illinois
Garrett Salas – Wing / Central Washington University + Nashville RFC / Seattle, Washington
Hudson Schutte – 8 Man / Nazareth University / Shorewood, Minnesota
Jack Oberhofer – Front Row / Syracuse University / Glen Elyn, Illinois
Jude Lenahan – Flanker / UT-Chattanooga + Raptors Rugby / Brentwood, Tennessee
Remington Roderick – Flanker / UNC-Wilmington / Wilmington, North Carolina
Spencer Daves – Flyhalf / Central College + Des Moines RFC / Urbandale, Iowa
Not to be dramatic, but I would run through a brick wall for Ilona Maher.
Ilona Maher is having the time of her life at the Paris Olympics, and it’s seemingly because women’s rugby is finally getting the recognition it deserves.
After Maher hit a filthy stiff arm during this year’s games, word began to spread about Team USA’s women’s rugby sevens team. Their popularity even caught the eye of Jason Kelce, who was in France to watch the Olympics. Kelce eventually hooked up with Ilona and the team, promising to be a super fan, and the rest was history.
Maher took that momentum with her as Team USA battled Australia during an electric bronze medal game that ended in unbelievable walk-off fashion. The moment was so incredible that you couldn’t have scripted it if you tried. So, it’s only fitting that Ilona’s post-match speech about Team USA’s journey felt like it was straight out of a movie.
Here’s some of what she shared with tears in her eyes:
“In rugby, we say we’re just passing through the jersey and making the jersey better, and that’s always been my goal — to make this jersey better. Not just for me but for the other girls that are gonna come into the program.”
“And I want them to dream of being professional athletes. That’s what I feel like I’m giving them. Even if this is my last rugby game, I hope that there’s space for them to grow and thrive and that they experience this [because] I got to.”
New Zealand celebrated their women’s rugby gold with an electric Haka performance.
New Zealand’s women’s rugby team defended its gold medal in rugby sevens at the 2024 Paris Olympics and celebrated with a thrilling Haka.
On Tuesday, after New Zealand bested Canada 19-12 in the final and they received their gold medals, the entire team performed the Haka — a traditional Māori ceremonial dance. The dance has become more well known in the sports world for its use before games and after victories by New Zealand in rugby.
This rendition by New Zealand’s women’s rugby sevens team was quite electric, and the fans in Paris were treated to a thrilling show after the gold medal match.
Now this is how you celebrate a historic Olympic win.
The United States women’s national rugby sevens team earned its place in the history books on Tuesday, becoming the first American team in the sport to ever medal at the Olympics.
The team’s 2024 Paris Olympics bronze medal came on an incredibly dramatic finish where Alex Sedrick sprinted across the field at the last second for the game-winning try.
Team USA’s breakout rugby sevens star Ilona Maher relished in her brand-new Olympics hardware.
She immediately posted a photo of her on social media biting her Olympic bronze medal with a caption that read, “Delicious.”
That’s such a cool way to celebrate such a monumental win for your team on the global stage, as Maher and her teammates will forever be known as the first Americans to medal at the Olympic Games in women’s rugby sevens.
This is one of the coolest moments from the 2024 Paris Olympics so far.
The United States women’s national rugby sevens team achieved history on Tuesday at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
On an absolutely breathtaking cross-field run to a try for Team USA’s Alex Sedrick, the United States earned the bronze medal in women’s rugby sevens over Australia, the first time the team has ever medaled at the Olympic Games.
The 14-12 win for Team USA will go down in history books, as any team earning its first-ever Olympic medals have plenty of reason to celebrate.
However, Sedrick’s heroics to make it all the way across the field in front of the world and win it for her team feels like it could only happen in a movie.
We have a feeling Team USA rugby sevens fans will be revisiting this sensational highlight for years to come.
A FINISH YOU HAVE TO SEE TO BELIEVE! 😱
ALEX SEDRICK LEADS TEAM USA TO THE FIRST-EVER OLYMPIC RUGBY SEVENS MEDAL FOR THE UNITED STATES ON THE FINAL PLAY OF THE GAME! 🥉 #ParisOlympicspic.twitter.com/1FMu9SWxDo
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 30, 2024
New Zealand Olympic rugby sevens player Michaela Blyde is a HUGE of fellow Olympian and decorated track and field star Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
When I say huge fan, I mean Michaela could hardly keep it together at the mere thought of her idol following her on Instagram. In a new video, Blyde is downright giddy as she realizes that Fraser-Pryce followed her and commented on a recent reel she posted after she (perhaps jokingly) invited her to be friends.
“Oh my God. We’re best friends,” Michaela says before the video cuts to her receiving a message from Shelly-Ann and eventually getting help from her teammates to arrange a nearby meetup. Soon, a very excited (and barefoot) Michaela comes barreling down a Paris street and into the arms of an awaiting Shelly-Ann, who embraces her.
Aye Shelly have Michaela in shambles. 🤭
This is so cute btw, and her teammates coming together to reply to the message is even cuter.
I knew when I saw her barefoot that she ran from somewhere.
That’s amazing stuff, really. But that isn’t the end of the story. Shelly-Ann was in the stadium to see Michaela and New Zealand beat China during this year’s Games. You love to see it.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce 🇯🇲 cheering Michaela Blyde 🇳🇿 today in her Rugby match against China!
Jason Kelce and the USA women’s rugby sevens team is the duo we never knew we needed.
Jason Kelce is having the time of his life at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and he’s hamming it with the Team USA women’s rugby sevens team.
Jason and his wife Kylie went to Paris to watch the Olympic Games, and they already spent time watching the United States compete in women’s field hockey.
Now, Jason’s been hanging out with Ilona Maher and the USA women’s rugby sevens team, and the clips from his time in the Olympic village with the whole squad are genuinely tremendous. Maher recently asked him to be a super fan of the team (similar to the way women’s water polo has Flavor Flav), and he wholesomely agreed.
But it gets better. At some point, Jason was arm wrestling — YES, ARM WRESTLING — with another player, Nicole Heavirland, and you have to see the clip to believe it.
The Vols will hold an Orange & White scrimmage on Aug. 24. Tennessee will kick off regular-season play, hosting Queens on Sept. 6.
Tennessee is scheduled to play two road contests at Thomas More (Sept. 13) and Rio Grande (Sept. 14) before hosting Texas A&M for family weekend on Sept. 21.
Tennessee will host Florida (Oct. 11) and Alabama (Oct. 18) before SCRC playoffs on Oct. 26.
All home games will be contested at RecSports Fields at Sutherland except for the Vols’ match against Texas A&M. Tennessee and the Aggies will play at Tennessee Rugby Park.
A look at Tennessee rugby photos hosting the 2024 Olympic 7s Championship.
Tennessee hosted the 2024 Olympic Rugby 7s Championship at Tennessee Rugby Park.
Tennessee and its reserves competed in seven matches in the SCRC Olympic Rugby Championship, compiling two wins between the two sides.
The Vols will host its spring Old Boys Game on May 4 at Tennessee Rugby Park (1 p.m. EDT). 2024 marks the third season for Tennessee under head coach Scott Tungay. He replaced Marty Bradley who is serving as Tennessee’s director of rugby. The Vols won the 2021 national championship in Bradley’s final season as head coach.
Below are photos of the 2024 Olympic Rugby 7s Championship, hosted by the Vols, at Tennessee Rugby Park.
