Wheeling, W. Va. - Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend will see some of the best collegiate ruby players from across the country make the trip to Atlanta, Georgia for the 2026 National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) All Star Shield Challenge. After making it back to the NCR National stage during the 2025 15's season, the Wheeling University Men's Rugby team will be well represented, sending 10 representatives to the all-star weekend event. James Holland, Taku Musingwini, Alex Nyamunda, Navin Couch, Brandt Pawlowski, Jose Lawal, Benjamin Andrews, Ntsika Mduba, and Chris Mathebula will represent the Cardinals on the field, while Head Coach Maxwell Hamilton will serve as the Manager for the Rising Stars East Team.
2026 NCR Men's National Shield Challenge will come to Atlanta, Georgia for the second year in a row in 2026. The two-day event will be hosted at Silverbacks Park, home of Major League Rugby's (MLR) Rugby ATL, and will feature the top collegiate rugby players from across the country. It serves as an annual showcase of the top player in the nation, with players being recruited based upon their fall 2005 15's regular season. The players recruited are split into two categories based on their talent level, with each category being split by region. The All Stars represent the top college rugby players from eight regions across the US, with players being nominated by coaches, commissioners, and the All Star team scouts. The Rising Stars are comprised of the up and coming stars of first year and sophomore athletes across four regions.
Wheeling will be represented in both categories, with the veteran group featuring Musingwini, Nyamunda, and Couch. Leading the way is Nyamunda, who was named a finalist for the NCR Player of the Year award. He had a historic 2025 15's campaign that saw him lead the Cardinals with 16 tries, while finishing second on the team with 80 points. He would write his name in the Wheeling record books, setting the single season 15's try record while also setting the career 15's try record, scoring 31 tries across his three 15's seasons. Musingwini would also write his name in the Wheeling record books, setting single-season records for conversion kicks made (27), penalty kicks made (12), and penalty kicks attempted (14). He led the Cardinals with 90 points this season, and served as a big boost in the kicking game. While not on the scoresheet, Couch played a big role on the defensive side of the ball, and in scrums throughout the season.
The final six players will be represented on the Rising Stars East team, where they will play under their current head coach Maxwell Hamilton. Leading the list of Rising Star players is James Holland, who served as the back-up to Musingwini throughout the year. He would end up attempting 10 conversion kicks, putting seven through the uprights to finish with 14 points. All 14 of those points would come in the season-opening win against IUP, as he started his season off with a bang. The other two Rising Star honorees to make the stat sheet were Mduba and Mathebula, who each scored one try on the season accounting for five points each. Pawlowski, Lawal, and Andrews will all serve as key pieces for Rucks for the Rising Stars as they get their first experiences on the National Stage.
Rounding out the Rising Stars representatives is Hamilton, who will be making his third trip to the Men's National Shield Challenge. He would served as the Assistant Manager for the Great Lakes East Region under former Wheeling Head Men's Rugby Coach Mike Geibel and is serving as a manager for the East Regionfor the first time in his career. In his first season as Head Men's Rugby Coach, Hamilton led his team to a 5-4-1 overall record and a 1-3-1 mark in their first season of Atlantic Rugby Conference (ARC) play. After serving as a Graduate Assistant under former Head Coach Mike Geibel, Hamilton continued the tradition of success in the Cardinal Men's Rugby program, leading the team to the National tournament for the fourth straight season.
The 2026 NCR Men's National Shield Challenge is scheduled for January 17th and 18th at Silverbacks Park in Atlanta, Georgia. For schedule, streaming, and general tournament information, click HERE.
