Wheeling, W. Va. - On Wednesday, National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) honored their best and brightest in the classroom with the release of their 2025 NCR Scholastic All-American list. After bringing home their second straight Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC) National 7's title, the Wheeling University Men's Rugby team had four players recognized for their work in the classroom. Michael Chaniwa, Rua Karimazondo, Tadiwa Kainga, and Jose Lawal each earned honors as the Cardinals had their most honorees since the 2021 season.
During the 2024-2025 season, NCE recognized 1,284 students for their work in the classroom, which was a 21% increase from a season ago. Of those 1,284 students, 719 came from men's teams representing 220 teams across the country. In order to qualify as an NCR Scholastic All-American, an athlete must maintain a 3.5 GPA or higher for the 2024-2025 season. The athlete must also be rostered for at least 50% of the A-side matches during either the Fall 15's season or the Spring 7's season. The group of honorees represents roughly 1 in every 20 college rugby players, as NCR honors the best of the best athletes whose commitment to excellence on the field extends into the classroom.
Leading this year's list of honorees is senior Rua Karimazondo, who earned NCR Scholastic All-American honors for the third time in his career. After missing most of the 2024 15's season due to injury, Karimazondo made his return to the lineup during 7's season and played a big part in the Cardinal's CRC National 7's Championship run. While he didn't get into the try zone during the campaign, Karimazondo played a big role on the Cardinal's defense while also effectively passing the ball across the pitch. He helped lead a Cardinal's defense that allowed just 8.35 points per game during the spring season, and didn't allow any team to score over 21 points during the season. Across the 24 games, Karimazondo and the Cardinal's defense held the opposition to single digits 15 times, rounding up another championship season.
The other upperclassmen to be honored was Tadiwa Kainga, who earned NCR Scholastic All-American honors for the first time in his career. Kainga, who spent the 2023-2024 season with Notre Dame College before its closure, came onto the scene and helped the Cardinals to their best 15's season in program history. Kainga was a strong support player during the run, and got across the try zone once on his own. He finished the fall with five points and one try, but assisted in the rucks and on several offensive drives throughout the season. Despite being injured for most of the spring 2025 season, Kainga did get the opportunity to take the pitch at the Nail City 7's and made the most of that opportunity, scoring three tries and totaling 15 points. Kainga brought a National Championship experience to the Cardinals after helping lead NDC to the Di 15's National title a season ago and kept that leadership going into the classroom.
The final two honorees for the Cardinals are both in their first year with the team in Michael Chaniwa and Jose Lawal. Chaniwa gained experience on the pitch during the team's 15's season and would get onto the score sheet as the year switched to 7's season. He would get across the try line twice during 7's season, putting up 10 points during his team's CRC National 7's run. While not a part of the scoring sheet during either 15's or 7's season, Lawal was a strong role player for the Cardinals during their 15's run. He played a key part in the rucks during the run and helped the Cardinals advance to the NCR Di 15's semifinal round for the first time in program history.
The Wheeling University Men's Rugby team is preparing for the 2025 15's season as they continue through the offseason. They kick-off the 2025 15's season on Saturday, August 30th, when they host IUP.
