Wheeling, W. Va. - Over the weekend, the Wheeling University Men's Rugby team became just the third team in the history of National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) to win three consecutive Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC) National 7's titles. On Monday, the NCR announced their All-Tournament teams for all three levels of the National Championship event, and the Cardinals were well represented after their National Championship title. Junior flanker Alex Nyamunda, who also won the tournament MVP award, and junior Shadreck Mandaza were honored after leading the Cardinals to their third consecutive national title.
Leading the honors was the 2026 CRC National 7's Premiere Cup Tournament MVP Alex Nyamunda. It was the second consecutive year that the junior made the All-Tournament team, after leading the tournament field in scoring. He scored eight tries across the five games, totaling 40 points in the effort to lead the Cardinals to the National title. His biggest moment of the tournament came in the waning seconds of play with Dartmouth leading 12-7. The junior would knock the ball lose on a tackle, scooped it up, and took it across the try line to tie things at 12-12. The conversion kick would sail through the uprights, clinching the Cardinal's 14-12 victory. Across the five games of the tournament, Nyamunda would have two multi-try efforts, and scored at least one try in each of the team's games. His presence was also felt on the defensive side of the ball, with the junior sitting second on the team in tackles.
The second honoree was Shadreck Mandaza, who earned his second CRC National 7's All-Tournament team honor after winning the tournament MVP award in each of the last two seasons. Mandaza was the Cardinal's leader in the kicking game, hitting seven conversions across the five games, while scoring six tries to finish with 44 points and lead the tournament field. When the game against Kutztown was coming down to the wire, it was Mandaza who sealed the deal with a long run. After his team forced a fumble, Mandaza took the pitch and sprinted nearly the entire length of the pitch for the game-winning score. Like Nyamunda, Mandaza also scored at least one try in each of the five games, with his biggest performance coming in a 12-point effort against Utah State in the round of 32. Mandaza used his blazing speed to blow past the competition, and help the Cardinals to the championship.
In total, seven players were honored as members of the All-Tournament team, with Wheeling being the only team with multiple members. Three of the seven players played in the National Championship game, while four came from teams that competed in Wheeling's Atlantic Rugby Conference (ARC) during the regular season. The complete list of honorees is below:
Alex Nyamunda - Wheeling
Shadreck Mandaza - Wheeling
Jack Dunne - Notre Dame
Ethan Knight - Dartmouth
Tito Edjua - Brown
Benedict Quinn - Kutztown
The Wheeling University Men's Rugby team now heads into the off-season as they continue to celebrate their national championship success.
