The Gateway Collegiate Rugby Conference (GCRC) is a Division 2 men's college rugby conference that operates under the National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) organization.
The GCRC features teams from across America's heartland, including Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, and Arkansas.
Going into the fall season in the Gateway Conference, the expectation was that St. Louis University would be favored to win, and Principia would, as the Thunder Chickens did last year, be the main challenger; but nobody asked the UMS&T players.
St. Louis University’s 33-8 defeat of Principia College Saturday may well have put the clamp on the Gateway Conference for the Billikens.
With the victory, SLU is 3-0, and only UMS&T is similarly unbeaten (but not really similarly, as the Miners of the University of Missouri Science & Technology have yet to play a conference game.
St. Louis University moved to 2-0 and Principia to 1-0 in the Gateway Rugby Conference.
Principia won 33-26 over Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) in the Thunder Chickens’ first league game, while travel problems forced Southern Illinois to forfeit to Maryville. St. Louis, meanwhile, won 50-7 over Central Missouri.
The Gateway Conference had a soft opening a week ago but is full-on this weekend, and the question remains whether anyone can catch St. Louis University.
De La Salle HS
Saint Mary's (Rudy Scholz Finalist)
USA U20s (Captain)
USA Men's National 15s Team (Debut vs Georgia 2023 at age 20)
As a 17-year-old Spencer Huntley required a waiver to play for the USA U20s, an indication of how he was rated in the USA age-grade pathway. He got that waiver and impressed for the USA U20s, and then moved up to the USA U23s. He led the San Diego Mustangs to a national HS Club championship in 2024.
He also played in the SoCal single-school league for Cathedral Catholic.
Hope Rogers began playing rugby at age 16 in high school and continued to compete during her time at Penn State University. There, she won four National Championships, was crowned MVP on two occasions, was named to the USA Under-20s and earned Collegiate All-American honors for four years. Rogers was also an impressive discus player during her senior year in high school where she broke a school record and won Gold at Districts for the sport.
Mike played for Life College, Philly-Whitemarsh and played for the USA National 7s and 15s teams in the 1980s and 1990s.
He was also part of the Atlantis touring side, playing 7s for the team in several around the world.
