Rugby claims South division championship
It’s not the men’s or women’s basketball team, but one team associated with USF has qualified for the USA Rugby Sweet Sixteen. The USF men’s rugby team clinched a berth in the event by winning the USA Rugby South Championship, a Division II event, in Mobile, Ala. on Sunday.
The team defeated Middle Tennessee State in the semifinals and East Carolina 29-11 in the championship game to win its second South division title in three years. The South division extends from Florida to Tennessee in the northwest and up to North Carolina in the east.
“As it was told to us when the trophy was presented to us, we are the university that best represents for the South United States and we are the South Champions for 2011,” said Brent Couffey, the rugby club president. “I’m a fourth-year senior and this was my third time going to Alabama to play in the South championships. The first time, my freshman year, we were unsuccessful in 2008. The second time, in 2009, we won and once again this year we have won.”
The Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight will be held in Sanford, Fla., on April 16 and 17. USF will meet Bentley College from Waltham, Mass., in the round of 16. Should the team win both games that weekend, it will advance to the national semifinals, which will be held in Pittsburgh.
Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Miami, Ave Maria and UCF are all in-state schools that have rugby teams competing in Division II.
More Stories
DeSantis announces goal to minimize diversity efforts in higher education, USF’s response unclear
Following a request to the state’s public universities in late December to detail costs related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and critical race theory (CRT), Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez announced Tuesday that the state will attempt to curb DEI efforts in higher education. As of Wednesday, USF hasn’t responded to the governor’s new plans […]
Recent anti-abortion legislation produces mixed reactions from student orgs
Following a rise in legislation targeting abortion such as the Born-Alive abortion bill, students continue to be placed in difficult situations as they may lack the money and transportation necessary when seeking an abortion, according to Planned Parenthood Generation Action president Prachi Misra. The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, passed Jan. 11 in the House […]
Lone candidate in search announced as provost
Prasant Mohapatra, vice chancellor for research at the University of California, Davis, will start as the provost and executive vice president of academic affairs on March 1, according to a Monday universitywide email. Mohapatra was the only candidate in the running for the position, as the original search that occurred last fall was scrapped when […]
DeSantis requests data from USF Health on transgender students
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Office of Planning and Budget’s new survey requested that 12 Florida public universities release information about its students that sought “gender-affirming” care in the last five years – USF’s campuses and USF Health ranked at the top of the list. The official release of the survey did not state DeSantis’ objective in […]
Law officially inaugurated as USF’s eight president in ceremony
President Rhea Law was inducted as USF’s eighth president during her investiture ceremony on Thursday. During her address to attendees, Law emphasized the importance of USF’s growth, as well as what it has achieved in recent years and the role of community in facilitating such success. “We’ve transformed from a small commuter school into a […]
‘Increase Black enrollment now’: Protestors interrupt Law’s inauguration
A group of six protesters with the Students for a Democratic Society disrupted Rhea Law’s inauguration ceremony on Thursday right before she received the President’s Chain of Office. The protesters held up a black banner that read “We won’t wait. Increase Black enrollment” while repeatedly chanting “Increase Black enrollment now.” Board of Trustees Chair Will […]