Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference

{{Infobox sports league

| title = Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference

| current_season = 2024

| logo = Scrc southern collegiate rugby logo.png

| logo_size = 200

| conference = Southeastern

| sport = Rugby union

| founded = {{start date and age|2010}}

| inaugural = 2012

| owner =

| ceo =

| coo =

| director =

| president =

| commissioner = Marty Bradley

| organiser =

| fame =

| divisions =

| teams = 10

| singles =

| competitors =

| headquarters =

| motto =

| country = {{flagcountry|United States}}

| champion = Kentucky (3rd title)

| most_champs = Tennessee (5 titles)

| website = {{url|https://southeasternrugby.org/|southeasternrugby.org}}

| TV =

}}

The Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference (SCRC) is an annual college rugby competition played every spring among 10 universities from the Southeastern Conference.

The SCRC was formed in December 2010 by a core group of founding schools — Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee. By April 2011 the SCRC had expanded to 12 schools composed of the NCAA's Southeastern Conference (SEC).Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference, Eight teams approved for membership, April 4, 2011, {{cite web |url=http://www.varsityrugby.com/scrc/default.html |title=Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference |accessdate=2012-03-06 |url-status=usurped |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120228005639/http://www.varsityrugby.com/scrc/default.html |archivedate=2012-02-28 }}

The conference is led by SCRC Commissioner Marty Bradley.

Commercial success

The Southeastern Conference has enjoyed commercial success, announcing in October 2010, before conference play had even begun, that the SCRC had formed commercial partnership agreements with Adidas and the World Rugby Shop.

World Rugby Shop decided to sponsor the SCRC "because of the vision and potential of the league. Using established conference structures and rivalries is the future of the college rugby game in the U.S. and the SCRC will tap into a rich tradition of Southern rivalries at the major Southeastern Universities."Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference, SCRC Partners with Adidas and World Rugby Shop, Oct. 27, 2011, {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20120228221833/http://www.varsityrugby.com/scrc/2011-2012/wrs1.html]}}

Schools

The current 10 member schools of the SCRC are in the table below.

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center; width:100%;"
InstitutionLocationEnrollmentNicknameRugby
since
Head Coach
colspan="9" style="color:#ffd35a; background:#1d427d;"| Eastern Division
University of Georgia

| Athens, Georgia

| 35,520

| Bulldogs

| 1967

| Doug Porter

University of Kentucky

| Lexington, Kentucky

| 28,094

| Wildcats

| 1969

| Tony Vince

University of South Carolina

| Columbia, South Carolina

| 30,721

| Gamecocks

| 1967

| {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20121118025240/http://www.uscrugby.org/coaches.html Mark Morris]}}

University of Tennessee

| Knoxville, Tennessee

| 27,523

| Volunteers

| 1970

| Marty Bradley

Vanderbilt University

| Nashville, Tennessee

| 12,093

| Commodores

| 1970

| James Snell

colspan="9" style="color:#1d427d; background:#ffd35a;"| Western Division
University of Alabama

| Tuscaloosa, Alabama

| 33,602

| Crimson Tide

| 1973

| Eddie Buckner

Auburn University

| Auburn, Alabama

| 25,078

| Tigers

| 1973

|

University of Florida

| Gainesville, Florida

| 51,474

| Gators

| 1967

| Ken Simmons

Mississippi State University

| Starkville, Mississippi

| 21,424

| Bulldogs

| 1977

| Evan Kaplan

University of Mississippi

| Oxford, Mississippi

| 19,822

| Rebels

| 1974

|

The SCRC includes 10 of the 14 SEC schools. The other four schools are Missouri and Arkansas (which play rugby in the Heart of America conference), and Texas A&M and LSU (which play rugby in the Red River Conference). LSU was in the SCRC until 2014, but left before the 2015 season to join the Texas-based teams in the Red River Conference; Florida switched from the Eastern Division to the Western Division to balance the divisions with five teams each.

Results (regular season)

The following tables show the win–loss records of the various SCRC teams during conference play. The numbers in parentheses show that team's national ranking at the end of the season.

{{Col-begin}}

{{Col-break}}

class="wikitable"
colspan=4 | 2013 regular season
align=center | West

| align=center | Record

| align=center | East

| align=center | Record

LSU

| align=center | 5–1

| Tennessee (19)

| align=center | 6–0

Ole Miss

| align=center | 4–2

| South Carolina

| align=center | 5–1

Alabama

| align=center | 1–3

|Kentucky

| align=center | 3–3

Auburn

| align=center | 2–2

| Florida

| align=center | 2–3

Mississippi State

| align=center | 0–6

| Vanderbilt

| align=center | 2–4

|

| Georgia

| align=center | 0–5

{{Col-break}}

class="wikitable"
colspan=4 | 2014 (Spring)
align=center | West

| align=center | Record

| align=center | East

| align=center | Record

LSU

| align=center | 6–0

| So. Carolina (23)

| align=center | 6–0

Auburn

| align=center | 3–3

| Florida

| align=center | 4–2

Alabama

| align=center | 2–4

| Georgia

| align=center | 2–3–1

Ole Miss

| align=center | 2–4

| Tennessee

| align=center | 2–3–1

Mississippi State

| align=center | 1–5

|Kentucky

| align=center | 2–4

|

| Vanderbilt

| align=center | 2-4

{{col-end}}

{{Col-begin}}

{{Col-break}}

class="wikitable"
colspan=4 | 2014 (Fall)
align=center | West

| align=center | Record

| align=center | East

| align=center | Record

Mississippi State

| align=center | 5–1

| Tennessee

| align=center | 6–0

Alabama

| align=center | 4–2

| South Carolina

| align=center | 5–1

Auburn

| align=center | 3–3

| Florida

| align=center | 4–2

Ole Miss

| align=center | 1–5

|Kentucky

| align=center | 3–3

LSU

| align=center | 0–6

| Vanderbilt

| align=center | 1–5

|

| Georgia

| align=center | 1–5

{{Col-break}}

class="wikitable"
colspan=4 | 2015
align=center | West

| align=center | Record

| align=center | East

| align=center | Record

Alabama (24)

| align=center | 6–0

| Tennessee (9)

| align=center | 6–0

Florida

| align=center | 3–3

| South Carolina (12)

| align=center | 5–1

Auburn

| align=center | 2–4

| Georgia

| align=center | 3–3

Mississippi State

| align=center | 1–5

|Kentucky

| align=center | 3–3

Ole Miss

| align=center | 1–5

| Vanderbilt

| align=center | 0–6

{{col-end}}

Results (post season)

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
SeasonLocationSCRC ChampionFinal scoreSCRC Runner UpEast Division ChampWest Division Champ
2011–12Montgomery, ALFlorida22 – 14TennesseeTennessee (6–0)LSU (5–1)
2012–13Atlanta, GATennessee46 – 34South CarolinaTennessee (6–0)LSU (5–1)
2013–14Knoxville, TNSouth Carolina41 – 24LSUSouth Carolina (6–0)LSU (6–0)
2014–15Columbia, SCSouth Carolina50 – 22AlabamaTennessee (6–0)Mississippi St. (5–1)
2015–16Charlotte, NCTennessee23 - 22South CarolinaTennessee (6–0)Alabama (6–0)
2016–17Marietta, GAAlabama12 – 8Tennessee????
2017–18Knoxville, TNKentucky26 – 22Tennessee????
2018–19Knoxville, TNKentucky36 – 31Alabama????
2019–20??Tennessee46 – 21Kennesaw State????
2020–21colspan=6| Season canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
2021–22Knoxville, TNTennessee26 – 17Clemson????
2022–23??Tennessee27 – 22South Carolina????
2023–24Hendersonville, TNKentucky32 – 12TennesseeKentucky (7–0)Tennessee (6–1)

In 2012, Florida beat Tennessee 22-14 at the championship match, held in Montgomery, Alabama,AL.com, Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference final four set in Montgomery this weekend, April 12, 2012, http://blog.al.com/montgomery/2012/04/southeastern_collegiate_rugby.html to win the inaugural SCRC title.Rugby Mag, Florida Ousts Vols for SCRC Title, April 15, 2012, http://www.rugbymag.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4187:florida-ousts-vols-for-scrc-title&catid=48:mens-di-college&Itemid=208 Florida (#2 East) had beaten LSU (#1 West) 35-17 in one semifinal, while Tennessee (#1 East) had defeated Alabama (#2 West) 31-22 in the other semifinal.Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference, 2012 SCRC Championship, April 15, 2012, {{cite web |url=http://www.varsityrugby.com/scrc/2011-2012/championship.html |title=Southeastern Rugby |accessdate=2012-05-01 |url-status=usurped |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120609075253/http://www.varsityrugby.com/scrc/2011-2012/championship.html |archivedate=2012-06-09 }}

In the 2013 semifinals, Tennessee (#1 East) defeated Ole Miss (#2 West) 36-32, and South Carolina (#2 East) defeated LSU (#1 West) 36-28. The final featured Tennessee defeating South Carolina 46-34.

In the 2014 spring semifinals, South Carolina (#1 East) defeated Auburn (#2 West) 41–5. In the other semifinal, LSU (#1 West) defeated Florida (#2 East) 54–27, marking the first time that a team from the Western Division reached the final. South Carolina defeated LSU in the final 41–24.

In the 2014 fall semifinals, South Carolina (#2 East) defeated Mississippi State (#1 West) 55–7. In the other semifinal, Alabama (#2 West) defeated Tennessee (#1 East) 37–25 in overtime, marking the first time that the top seed from the Eastern Division did not reach the final. South Carolina defeated Alabama in the final 50–22.

In the 2015 semifinals, South Carolina (#2 East) defeated Alabama (#1 West) 34–27, and Tennessee (#1 East) defeated Florida 30–13. Tennessee defeated South Carolina in the final 23–22.

Awards

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
Seasonwidth=200px | Player of the Yearwidth=200px | Coach of the Year
2012Matt Neuhart (TENN)Mark Seitz (ALA)
2013Tim Holkenborg (SCAR)Mark Morris (SCAR)
2014 (Spring)Matt Berenato (SCAR)Mark Morris (SCAR)
2014 (Fall)Dana Corcoran (SCAR)Evan Kaplan (MSST)
2015Matthew Schick (ALA)Marty Bradley (TENN)
2016Ross Depperschmidt (ALA)Gary Anderson (KEN)
2017Brendon Esson (KEN)Gary Anderson (KEN)
2018????
2019Brendon Esson (KEN)??
2020colspan=2| Season canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
2021Greg Janowick (TENN)??
2022Josh Shelter (TENN)Scott Tungay (TENN)
2023Jack Phillips (KEN)Sam Enari (KEN)

National playoffs

Florida qualified for the 2012 Division 1-AA playoffs by virtue of its Southeast Conference championship, but lost to Florida State in the round of 32. Tennessee received an at large bid to the 2012 Division 1-AA playoffs due to the strength of the Southeast Conference; in the national playoffs, Tennessee defeated Maryland 47–13 and Florida State 45–27 to reach the quarterfinals.Rugby Mag, Men's D1-AA Bracket Finalized, April 16, 2012, http://www.rugbymag.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4196:mens-di-aa-bracket-finalized&catid=48:mens-di-college&Itemid=208Rugby Mag, Men's D1-AA Elite Eight Update, April 29, 2012, http://www.rugbymag.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4335:mens-di-aa-sweet-16-update&catid=48:mens-di-college&Itemid=208

Tennessee and South Carolina both reached the 2013 national D1-AA playoffs. Both fell in the Round of 16 — Tennessee fell 17–30 to eventual champions Central Florida, and South Carolina lost 7–29 to in-state rival Clemson.[http://usarugby.org/college-championships/mens-division-iaa 2013 USA Rugby Men's Collegiate DI-AA National Championship], USA Rugby. REtrieved May 7, 2015.

In the 2014 national D1-AA playoffs, the SCRC was represented by South Carolina, Georgia, and LSU. South Carolina beat Georgia 46–22 in the Round of 16, before falling 28–44 in the quarterfinals to eventual champions Central Florida. LSU lost in the Round of 16 to Central Florida by 19–50.[http://usarugby.org/college-championships/mens-division-iaa 2013-14 Men's DI-AA College National Championship], USA Rugby. Retrieved May 7, 2015.

Southeastern Collegiate 7s Championship

class=wikitable
SeasonLocationSCRC ChampionFinal scoreSCRC Runner UpSemifinalists
align=center | 2010align=center| Tuscaloosa, ALalign=center| Tennesseealign=center| 19–17align=center| LSUalign=center| Florida, ??
align=center | 2011align=center| Knoxville, TNalign=center| Tennesseealign=center| 26–14align=center| Floridaalign=center| LSU, Arkansas
align=center | 2012align=center| Montgomery, ALalign=center| Texas A&Malign=center| 28–10align=center| Georgiaalign=center| Tennessee, Auburn
align=center | 2013align=center| Knoxville, TNalign=center| Auburn align=center| 28–22align=center| Floridaalign=center| Tennessee, South Carolina
align=center | 2015align=center| Knoxville, TNalign=center| Alabama align=center| 24–14align=center| Mississippi Statealign=center| Tennessee, South Carolina

The Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Sevens Championship was played every fall by universities from the southeastern United States until transitioning to a spring event beginning with the 2014/2015 academic season. Tennessee won the inaugural 2010 Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Sevens Championship and currently has the most titles at two.Examiner.com, Tennessee continue dominating rugby season, Oct. 8, 2010.

References

{{Reflist}}