Houston, TX. – Over the weekend, the best of the best across collegiate rugby met in Houston, Texas for the annual Men's Collegiate Rugby All Star Shield Challenge. Ten Wheeling University Rugby players represented the university, playing on both the All-Stars team  and the Rising Stars for the Great Lakes Thunderbirds. The Rising Stars had a big weekend winning their bracket while the All-Stars finished fourth in their field.

The All-Stars started out with the heavy schedule on Saturday, playing three games as part of their tournament pool play. Day one action began with a win against the Mid-Atlantic Sharks 12-5 as they started their tournament 1-0. After a 23-15 loss to the Midwest Barbarians, the Thunderbirds were back in action for their final pool game against the Independents Red. They finished with a 22-7 win as they advanced into day two play. They would start day two in the National Quarterfinal game against the Tri-State Foundry and picked up a 17-0 victory. They would then head to the semifinals where they played the PAC Coast Grizzlies. They would end up finishing fourth in the field falling 12-0 to end their day.

The Rising Stars had the alternate schedule of the All-Stars, playing two pool games on Saturday and the final matches on Sunday. The first match of the tournament saw the Great Lakes Thunderbirds drop a close one to Tri-Stae Founry 19-17 as they looked to bounce back. The only other Saturday game for the group was against the Independents Red and the Thunderbirds got the bounce back they needed as they picked up a 22-9 victory. On Sunday, they wrapped up pool play with a 17-10 victory over the Midwest Barbarians and followed it up with a 17-3 victory over the Independents Blue. They ended pool play with a 4-1 record and made it to the championship game, where they once again matched up with the Tri-State Foundry. This time, the Thunderbirds got the best of them as they won 24-8 to take home the prize.

While both teams saw their share of success, three different Cardinals were recognized for their performances during the week. The biggest honor wenr to sophomore Larry Old, who was named the MVP of the All-Star team. Old had a big tournament, assisting on several tries while scoring a few of his own. Also on the All-Stars team, Aaron Juma made his presence felt as the top scorer for the Great Lakes Thunderbirds. Juma led the Cardinals in tries this season, averaging 1.5 per game, and had three more tries added to his ledger during the All-Star weekend. The final Cardinal to be honored was freshman Lawula Bata, who was the top scorer for the Rising Stars, finishing with four tries on the weekend.

The Wheeling University Rugby team returns to the pitch for their 7's season on Saturday, February 18th, when they head to the Pitt Dome 7's.