Rugby New Jersey held its 6th Annual Awards Reception on Monday, June 17th at 6 pm at the Holiday Inn in Clark, NJ.

In total, 164 players, coaches and rugby supporters were in attendance.

The keynote address was given by Phil Terrigno, Assistant Coach at West Point and Head Coach of the RUNY U-20s.

Honorary All State Players

Starting in 2014, Rugby NJ has named Honorary All State Players each year, recognizing student athletes who played high school rugby in New Jersey and went on to play in college.

The athletes selected are nominated by their collegiate coaches for their leadership on and off the pitch, mentorship of teammates and peers and dedication to their school and team.

Four former Morris High School Girls players were honored this year.

In her freshman year, Sabreen Huzien led Montclair State University Women’s Rugby to a Tri-State Central Division 15s championship and 3rd place finish in 7s. She was nominated by coach Anna Gildea after earning All-Conference honors and being named Player of the Year for Montclair State.

Mia Lancelotti currently plays for Penn State University Women’s Rugby, after a high-achieving high school career playing for first Union, and then later Morris. She was nominated by coach Kate Daley for her leadership and resilience, recently returning to the pitch after an ACL injury.

After picking up rugby in the Long Valley Wolfpack youth flag program, Ciara Sharkey was named captain in her senior year for the high school girls. This leadership experience translated well to Marywood University, where Ciara was also voted captain as only a freshman! Coach John Gulden nominated Ciara for pushing the team to be better and being named to the NSCRO All-Star 7s team for her conference.

Jenny Stumpf also started her rugby career by playing flag, on the Morristown Colonials team, before playing in high school. In the past year at St. Bonaventure University, Jenny impressed coach Clarence Picard over the winter, becoming the most improved freshman in the weight room and earning a spot on the Bonnies’ roster for NSCRO 7s Nationals.

One former player for the Morris High School Boys was also nominated. David Slade was nominated by his coach at Marist College, James Kimblerly, for his commitment to the team. After transferring to Marist, David earned the Defensive Player of the Year award in the Fall 2018 season.

All State Teams

At the annual awards dinner, Rugby NJ also names All State teams in 4 divisions: Boys Single School, Boys D1 Club, Boys D2 Club and Girls High School.

In the Boys D1 Club division, Morris’ own John Zeich, Robbie Daily and Sumer Maini were named as the All State loosehead prop, scrum half, and weak-side wing, respectively.

In the Girls High School Division, 14 out of 15 positions — all except the scrum half — were earned by Morris High School Girls. Molly Murtaugh, Elizabeth Cogan, Chaney Fisher, Caroline Fruscione, Emilia Monrad, Sophia Loosemore, Alexis Buzby, Mariella Paul, Juliana Aliprandi, Emma Gamboa, Emma Morino, Grace Ward, Megan Matthews and Lauryn Eisenhart were all recognized.

Congratulations to all the honorees!

You can read the press release about the Honorary All State Players and view the full rosters of the All State teams on Rugby NJ’s website. Visit Rugby NJ’s Facebook page for more photos.

 

Posted in Blazing 7s, Coaching, Corporation, Events, Men's, Newsletter, NJ Rugby, Teams, Teamwork, U12 U14 Boys, U14 Girls, U18 Boys, U18 Girls, Women's