(Cal Varsity Rugby Release)—The University of California rugby program welcomes ten new student-athletes to the roster for the 2022-2023 season, the 141st season for the Golden Bears.
Cal Varsity Rugby is the winningest Intercollegiate Athletics team on Berkeley’s campus, having collected 33 of the school’s 100 national-level championship titles since 1980. This upcoming academic year also marks Jack Clark’s 40th season as Head Coach of the Bears.
“It is an incoming class of high character individuals,” Clark said. “For their age they are obviously good players, but it’s noteworthy how many are captains of their teams and viewed as leaders of their schools. We believe these boys are a good fit for our university and team. They can count on all of our support.”
All ten newcomers were Cal Rugby Summer Camp attendees and eight are US passport holders. Five recruits come to Berkeley from across California, with the other five hailing from beyond the Golden State. Two of those come from Virginia while the other three are internationals, joining the team from Hong Kong, London and the Philippines. This freshman class brings a wealth of leadership skills, academic excellence and athletic talent with them to Strawberry Canyon, and they are looking forward to suiting up in the Blue & Gold come fall.
Caden (“Cade”) Crist
San Diego native Cade Crist comes to Berkeley from Torrey Pines High School. The 6-1, 212-pound hooker was team captain for both the Falcons rugby team and the football team. Crist was a member of the school’s rugby team when they were crowned the So Cal champions and state championship runners-up. He was also named a three-time scholar athlete at Torrey Pines High School.
The US passport holder was a member of the 2021 Tier Two National Champion club team, the San Diego Mustangs, which is coached by Cal rugby alumnus Ramon Samaniego. A Cal Rugby Summer Camp attendee, he was also a member of the club’s winning SoCal Championship teams in 2016, ’17 and ’18. Crist is spending part of the summer with the US national U18 team, competing abroad in the Corendon Summer Tour.
Outside of his athletics, Crist spent time volunteering with the Sudanese Refugee Center in his community. He is also an avid fisherman and surfer in his free time.
Crist’s father, David, is the chief financial officer of a food service company and obtained his degree from San Diego State University. Mr. Crist played rugby for the Aztecs from 1985-1987 and was a member of the 1987 National Championship winning team. Prior to their victory over the Air Force Academy in the ’87 final, Crist and the Aztecs defeated Cal in the Pacific Coast Championships. Cade’s mother, Aimee, is a West Virginia University alumna who now works as a consultant.
“It feels amazing to be a part of the Cal rugby family, especially knowing their long history of winning. I am more than excited to help keep that winning culture alive,” Crist said. “Over the next four years, I look forward to graduating from the number one public university in the country, as well as making new friends on and off the pitch.”
Byron Finley
Byron Finley, coming to Berkeley standing at 6’6 and 257 pounds, is from Larkspur, Calif.. The US passport holder attended Redwood High School, the same school that produced rugby international and Cal rugby alumnus and assistant coach, Jake Anderson.
At Redwood, Finley served as co-captain of the varsity football team and excelled as a defensive tackle and guard on the gridiron. There, he received the Principle’s Award for significant contribution to his school’s athletics program. He was also granted the Myles Kawashima Student Athlete Scholarship, the Giant Award and The Redwood High School Foundation Scholarship Award which were all presented in recognition of his outstanding commitment to both academic performance and the community.
Finley played rugby for the Marin Highlanders club team, coached by John Vantress, which fellow Cal rugby team members Ryan Marshall, Griffin Rudy, Alex Aguero, and Jafer Snipes also played for prior to joining the Bears’ roster. Finley, a Cal Rugby Summer Camp attendee, was named man of the match several times while playing for the Highlanders. He also spent time volunteering as an instructor at rugby camps for beginner and intermediate levels. Finley’s passion outside of athletics is photography.
Finley’s mother, Cynthia Green, is a client associate for Wells Fargo Advisors.
“It’s the best feeling in the world taking the next step in my athletic career,” Finley said. “I am really looking forward to being a member of the UC Berkeley community and all that it has to offer.”
Michael Freeman
Bay Area local Michael Freeman comes to Cal rugby from Danville. The 5’11, 175-pound scrumhalf/flyhalf joins his brother, Luke, on the Cal roster, who has been a starter for the Bears.
Freeman, a two-time Cal Rugby Summer Camp attendee, was the varsity rugby team captain for De La Salle High School, where he was named the Most Valuable Player in 2022 prior to being named Most Valuable Back in 2020. His team was crowned the Single School California State Champions and the Nor Cal Premier Cup champions.
The US passport holder also played football for four years for the Spartans as a wide receiver and safety. The De La Salle to Cal rugby pipeline remains intact, with Freeman joining fellow Spartan alumni and current Bears Luke Freeman, Michael Puckett, Jon Puckett, Lance Hackett, Clayton Seastrand, and Matt Vranesh in Strawberry Canyon. In high school, he was involved on campus as a member of the finance club.
Freeman’s father, Rick, is a fire captain who attended Occidental College, where he played both football and rugby. His mother, Tammy, was a swimmer for the Trojans at USC and now owns a car dealership.
“I am extremely excited to become a member of the Cal rugby team,” Freeman said. “After watching my brother play for the team over the past four years, I knew that this is the place I wanted to be. I am looking forward to joining the brotherhood of the rugby team and learning from some of the best coaches in the country over the next four years.”
Miles Malone
Miles Malone is a 6-5, 230-pound lock/No. 8 who comes from Alexandria, Va. He attended Gonzaga College High School in Washington D.C. where he played rugby for the Eagles all four years of high school. Gonzaga College High School were runners-up in the Single School National Championships in the 2021-2022 season.
Malone, a Cal Rugby Summer Camp attendee, was a captain of the Eagles rugby team his senior year. The US passport holder also earned First Honors for his academic successes in his high school career. Beyond his academics and athletics, he was a member of the creative writers club on campus and a member of the school’s grill club.
Additionally, Malone spent time volunteering in the community at two different charitable organizations in his hometown. He was a part of The Campus Kitchen Project, which is a student-led organization that uses sustainable methods of fighting widespread hunger. He also volunteered with the So Others Might Eat (SOME) organization, which fights poverty and homelessness in the nation’s capital by providing a variety of different community services to those in need.
Malone’s father, Owen, is an architect who attended James Madison University, while his mother, Ashley Chappell, is a government analyst and alumna of UNC Chapel Hill.
“It feels great to be a member of Cal rugby,” Malone said. “I’m looking forward to playing at the highest level of rugby possible and training like a professional.”
Oli Newall
Oliver (“Oli”) Newall hails from London, England. The 6-1, 192-pound center/fullback played rugby for the Harrow School’s first XV. The Harrow School, now celebrating its 450th year, has produced numerous rugby internationals. Current starter for the Bears, Will Shankland, is also an alumnus of the Harrow School’s starting XV.
At the Harrow School, Newall was a multi-sport athlete, and was named captain of the Gym Society. He played cricket all four years in school and was a national U16 cricket T20 finalist. He also earned a gold medal in the National Independent Schools U18 judo competition in the 81kg division and, prior to that, was also an awarded competitor in javelin and shot put events.
Recognized for his leadership and service both on and off the pitch, Newall was selected as a Head of House for the Harrow School. He also volunteered as a mathematics tutor for the Shaftesbury Enterprise Lumina Tutoring Program, which provides services to children suffering from distressing home environments. The Cal Rugby Summer Camp attendee also collected great academic achievements in high school, most notably as the winner of the St. John’s Classics essay writing competition and as a student-lecturer for his school’s Classics Society.
Newall’s father, Jamie, obtained a Master’s in Law from Cambridge University and now works as a strategic consultant and as a member of the board of directors for three listed companies. His mother, Sacha, is an alumna of Exeter University, where she studied modern languages, and now is the founder and CEO of the UK’s biggest fashion rental company, MyWardrobeHQ.
“It is really exciting to be joining such a prestigious rugby program that also has such an incredible group of supporters,” Newall said. “I am really looking forward to working with such an experienced squad of players and coaches. In addition, it is very inspiring to see the array of leading academics who teach at Cal, and I’m excited to have the chance to study under them.”
Jack Openshaw
Fellow international, Jack Openshaw, is a 5-11, 190-pound half-English, half-Filipino flyhalf from Hong Kong. The Cal Rugby Summer Camp attendee graduated from the Chinese International School where he played both rugby and soccer. He received academic commendation for every semester of his high school career.
Openshaw also played rugby for the Valley Fort Rugby Football Club, one of the oldest youth rugby clubs in Hong Kong. There, he was voted MVP for the U19 Team in the 2020-2021 season. He was then promoted to the men’s team in the 2021-2022 season. Openshaw was also selected as a member of the U19 HK National Squad in 2021-2022.
Off the pitch, Openshaw engages in numerous extracurricular activities. He was the sports editor of his school’s bilingual magazine, “Xiaohua”, where he edited pieces in both English and Mandarin. He also plays guitar and performs in a band featuring all-student musicians. An active participant in community service, Openshaw tutored children of various ages in English. He also co-founded a charity called Techcycle, which collects used devices and sends them to impoverished communities in the Philippines.
Openshaw’s father, Michael, attended Leeds University where he studied Business and Chinese, while his mother, Patricia, attended Cornell University to study Psychology. Both are now practicing lawyers in Hong Kong.
“I am very excited to play rugby for Cal,” Openshaw said. “It’s a privilege to be a part of this program, and I’m looking forward to improving as a rugby player and winning some games. I’m also most looking forward to joining a brotherhood that will give me life-long friendships, and to compete in locations across America.”
