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National Champs reflect on glory
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Coastal Carolina are the Small College National Champions and they have ambitions to continue and improve upon their dominance.
CCU beat Longwood State in the semi-finals and then Oswega (NY) 36-15 to clinch the title on Sunday.
After an undefeated season culminating in a national crown, CCU are not resting. Losing four seniors and an exchange student, the team are considering jumping up a level to Division 2.
"Co-founder of the NSCRO Steve Cohen said something at the trophy presentation that got me thinking right away that (moving up a division) may happen sooner than later," CCU head coach Robert Kegler. "Starting next year, if there is more than 3,000 male students at your university, you will not be eligible to compete for Nationals in the NSCRO. I currently do not know how many males will be enrolled at Coastal next year, but if it is more than 3,000, I want to move up! There would be no point in staying at this division if we can not compete. If that's the case, look out Division II, here comes Coastal."
Coastal has more than 7,500 undergraduates, according to those usually-accurate folks at Wikipedia.
But next year aside, being a national champion seems to have been a dizzying experience for all at CCU rugby.
"Everybody from the team is really excited about winning the title," Kegler said. "It's difficult at first to have it really sink in. After the final whistle blew, it was crazy. There's players yelling in celebration, some crying from excitement that their moment has arrived, I'm running out onto the field to congratulate everyone. Between those moments after the game, the trophy presentation, and then team pictures under the scoreboard, you feel like you are at the top of the world."
However, as many ruggers playing on the road, there is a difficult side. There are no private planes whisking D3 ruggers back from N.J. to S.C.
"There were a lot of fans and parents there, they all treated us to food at the pitch afterward -- then reality sets in," coach said. "Meaning that we have to change and make an 11 hour trip back to the campus. Finals are coming up. I actually had players studying in the van on the way home that day."
Add to the torment that the CCU boys returned to a wildfires sweeping their resort town home.
However, the guys were not phased, and the sometimes anonymous sport of rugby was anything but.
"Word got around quickly though, and it feels so good getting phone calls and emails from alumni and my friends with congratulations," Coach said. "My alumni at this point were the founding members of this team, so they are proud of what has become of this program."
One major alum who knew full well about the win was John Graham, former CCU head coach and now leading Longwood University. Graham, who coached Kegler, and Longwood were defeated by CCU in the final four match-up. For Kegler, it is a tossup which he likes more. Student defeating the master or winning the trophy one game later.
"I still have a hard time with which one was more exciting for me," he said. "Obviously the title was the main goal, but I personally had a little something extra at stake with playing Longwood in the first game. I learned a lot from him when I was playing for him, and still see him in my style at times. Am I happy I beat him? Hell Yeah. I know he'd be saying the same thing, though if it was the other way around."
"I know he's disappointed in the result of our game, but I also know that he's proud of me," Kegler continued. "He stayed after his third place game the next morning and watch the final. Before he left, he gave me a Longwood Rugby polo shirt, which I proudly wore the next day."
Whether it is D2 or D3, CCU seem ready for the 2010 matrix.
"We are losing four seniors this season, and one foreign exchange student starter," Kegler said. "We lost six last year, and we won the Nationals, so I can deal with four."
"I definitely think that we can make another run at the title next year," he continued. "I still have quite a bit of talent left on the squad with the returning players, and I'm always up for making adjustments as needed. My starting Hooker was a back up full back up until the Citadel game."
Another adjustment is to take place this summer, as the bruising CCU team is set for a 7s summer. Joining together with the defunct Myrtle beach Kahunas mens side, they will get all the fun of a southern sevens summer.
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