The 2026 nominees for top honors in college rugby have been announced, as the MA Sorensen and Rudy Scholz Award potential winners are confirmed.
This list, assisted by votes from fans and the rugby public, was curated by a panel of coaches along with Jackie Finlan from The Rugby Breakdown and all overseen by Alex Goff, Editor of GoffRugbyReport.com.
This list of nominees will be pared down to a group of four or five finalists, and the Selection Panel will then vote on the winner. The MA Sorensen Award-winner will be celebrated and receive her trophy at a gala event at the Washington Athletic Club in Seattle, Wash. in June.
All award-winners since the Sorensen Award was started in 2016, have a signed jersey that is on display at the WAC.
The MA Sorensen Award is named after groundbreaking USA player MaryAnn Sorensen. A prop for the USA when they won the 1991 Women's Rugby World Cup, and also when they made the final in 1994, Sorensen was a standout collegiate player at William & Mary and a brilliant player and coach, while also pursuing a highly respected medical career.
MA has been able to present, in-person, every MA Sorensen Award trophy (save for COVID-restricted years in 2020 and 2021) at the Awards events in Seattle.
| Player | School |
|---|---|
| Cassidy Ball | Army West Point |
| Sydney Davis | Stanford |
| Lucia Del Campo | Lindenwood |
| AJ Haughey | Life University |
| Alexa Kirschner | Quinnipiac |
| Yesenia Morales | Army West Point |
| Gemma Ogoke | Harvard |
| Lei Opeti | Life University |
| Mariah Overby | Univ. of Cal - Berkeley |
| Tiahna Padilla | Harvard |
| Angelique Schrock | Grand Canyon |
| Freda Tafuna | Lindenwood |
| Emma Tai | Wheeling Jesuit |
| Telesi Uhatafe | Southern Nazarene |
| Bella Vogel | Life University |
| Katelyn Walker | Dartmouth College |
| Reece Woods | Sacred Heart |
The Nominees for the 2026 Rudy Scholz Award have been named, with nominations coming from all corners of the game and vetted through a panel of coaches. This list represents the top of the men's collegiate players in the USA.
This list will be whittled down to a finalist group (with the help of the American rugby public) and then the selection panel of coaches and media will select the winner. The Washington Athletic Club has presented the Rudy Scholz Award to the nation's top collegiate rugby player since 2016.
| Player | School |
|---|---|
| George Engels | Army West Point |
| Logan Ballinger | Life University |
| Aaron Van Dyk | Arkansas State |
| Roanin Krieger | US Naval Academy |
| Manu Taula | St. Bonaventure |
| Solomon Williams | Univ. of Cal - Berkeley |
| Jack McAllister | Lindenwood |
| Kieran Downs | San Diego |
| Sosaia Pongi | Saint Mary's |
| Coby Baker | Cal Poly |
| Dom Besag | Saint Mary's |
| Drew Baublitz | US Naval Academy |
| Rand Santos | Univ. of Cal - Berkeley |
| Marco Lapierre | Brown |
| Matteo Berenger | Arizona |
