Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Okla. has announced that it is adding men's and women's rugby to its athletic department, and has hired former Yukon HS Head Coach Aric Gilliland as its Head Coach.

SNU is moving quickly with its rugby program, and will take the field this coming spring in 7s. Gilliland will run both teams.

"The most important aspect of beginning these programs was finding the right fit at head coach." said SNU Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Danny Thomason. "I believe we did that with Aric Gilliland."

Gilliland told Goff Rugby Report that he will be recruiting from athletes on-campus to fill out his 7s teams, and will be holding open tryouts before the end of this semester.

In an announcement, "I couldn't be more thrilled for this opportunity to lead SNU Rugby. Southern Nazarene is such a special place that the Lord used to change my life forever and is a place that truly feels like home. I'm eager to join the SNU team while we build and orchestrate a top-notch rugby program that will compete nationally while working with student-athletes to reach their potential in not only the sport, but their walk with the Lord as well."

Gilliland is a 2002 graduate of Southern Nazarene University where he was a member of the Crimson Storm football team for three years while earning a human relations degree focused in communications and human science. After graduation, he played rugby for the Oklahoma City Crusaders and OKC Blue Dolphins. In 2014, Gilliland founded Yukon High School Rugby Club (now known as F5 Rugby), where he's served as the Director of Rugby for the past seven years. In 2015, he was named the Vice President of Rugby Oklahoma in Tulsa, where he served on the chair competition committee before being elected President in 2020.

SNU will join National Collegiate Rugby as an independent, and also will look to secure fixtures against collegiate opponents in Oklahoma and neighboring states. Southern Nazarene University is a private, Christian, liberal arts university based in Bethany, Okla. just west of Oklahoma City. It was founded in 1899. Its total undergraduate enrollment for 2020, according to US News, was just over 1,500.

Interested rugby recruits are encouraged to contact Coach Aric Gilliland at 405-615-3220 or at agilliland@mail.snu.edu