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MLR Rising Camp About to Kick Off

irish rugby tours

MLR Rising Camp About to Kick Off

50 athletes assemble at University of Mary Washington.

Sunday sees the starts of a week-long camp for Major League Rugby hopefuls as MLR Rising kicks off at the campus of the University of Mary Washington.

This camp is a new-look plan for the pre-draft training camp and all-star bowl game, with D1A being much more involved.

The players will train together and then find out they have been split into Red and Blue teams. Lindenwood University Head Coach Josh Macy will team up with DC Young Glory Head Coach Ben Cima to coach one team, while former St. Bonaventure Head Coach and current Miami Sharks Coach Tui Osborne will team up with Saint Mary's Assistant Coach Andrew Cooke to coach the other team.

Fifty players will be in the camp from 34 different college teams. Of those 50 players, eight are from Canada, one is from NCR's D2, two are from NCR's Small College (now D3), two are from NCR's D1AA, three are from CRAA D1AA, six are from NCR's D1, and 28 are from CRAA's D1A. 

Eleven players were listed as unavailable and thus presumably in the mix.

The camp itself really gets going on Monday. Coaches arrive on Sunday, as will GRR as we will be embedded at camp all week. The camp will include a media day and combine, position-specific sessions, and meetings throughout. The teams will be split on Wednesday for team sessions—there will be three of those over Wednesday and Thursday followed by a Captain's Run.

The idea is to replicate an international prep week. Also on the dockets will be talks with USA Men's 15s Head Coach Scott Lawrence, former Eagle and now media personality Will Hooley, and others. In addition, the players will have some slightly less-serious competitions to test each other in, going from egg toss and something to do with Oreo cookies to trying to put on a frozen T-shirt.

The week culminated with a match on Friday morning, July 12, and then a trip to see the USA play Scotland at Audi Field in Washington DC.

Here are the players set to be at the MLR Rising camp, by position:

MLR Rising 2024 Players  
Name School
Loosehead Prop  
Jesse Robert Emerson Grand Canyon University
Daniel George Bray University of California, Santa Barbara
Asher Webb Lindenwood University
Miles Bell Michigan State University
   
Hooker  
Jordan Auger University of Victoria
Neil Jacob Trainor Queen's University
Matthew Conroy St Bonaventure University
Maximus McAlpin Clark The Ohio State University
Nicholas Miglioranzi Sydorowitz University of Mary Washington
   
Tighthead  
James Norman Aitken St. Bonaventure
Patrick Maurice Beattie California State University Long Beach
Connor Richard WIlliams ` University of Ottawa
Damon James Mt St Mary's University
   
Second Row  
Raymond Lawrence Santiago Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Christopher Ott Jensvold University of Louisville
Matthew H Reed Life University
James Dale Reed III Life University
Le'Donn Mathis Lindenwood University
Daniel L Blanc University of Mary Washington
   
Back Row  
Matthew Carrion Life University
Nicholas E Andiarena Adrian College
Jack Brown University of Arizona
Calvin Michael Ihrig Lindenwood University
Jake Chandler Kinneeveauk University of Utah
Sam Tsoi Trinity Western University
Joseph A O'Brien Saint John's University
Parker Anderson University of Louisville
Kaipono Kayoshi Saint Mary's College of California
Aaron Juma Wheeling University
   
Scrumhalf  
George Schwind O'Brien University of Arizona
Christopher William Islip Gamage University of Victoria
Aidan Scott Ridgway Arkansas State University
Jacob Bourne University of British Columbia
Emmanuel Lai Santa Clara University
   
   
Flyhalf  
Cale White University of Mary Washington
Alex Park Texas A&M
   
Center  
Calvin Liulamaga Central Washington University
Shane David Rikley-Krindle University of Victoria
Stuart K Duncan University of Mary Washington
Michael Otto Sanderson Elon University
Peyton Justin Wall Indiana University
Stephin Alberts Lindenwood University
   
   
Wing  
Isaiah L Saldana Central Washington University
Jack Lloyd Morris University of Guelph
Kyle Stokley Sam Houston State University
Elijah Thomas St Thomas University
Brendan Bennett UT San Antonio
Ashawnty Staples Notre Dame College
   
Fullback  
Hunter Dean Simons Ohio State University
Sebastian Schefermann Mary Washington University