UGA Rugby alumni and a group of current players went to Asheville over the past weekend and dominated the tournament, going undefeated and winning the cup! Below is the write-up from our Events Chair, Cameron Zahedi.
Dear UGA Rugby Community,
I’m happy to report a fantastic weekend for Alumni + Students at the Asheville Beer City 7s tournament. We left town full of craft beer and camaraderie with a championship under our belts!
In recent years, we’ve competed in Asheville’s 7s tourney with a motley team called the “Hot Dawgs”. In 2025 the championship game was cancelled due to rain, so we took home 2nd place on a technicality despite going undefeated. We returned this year with intentions to win it all, and brought the team to do it. Our core involved a combination of starting Collegiate players and Alumni ranging in age from 23-43, combining experience, fitness and speed with a shared intensity that carried us through some tough moments.
Group play was immediately rained out, and after an hour delay we played our first two games in a constant downpour. Tough defense and focused offensive play led to victories against Lanier 7s (7-0) and Columbia Rhinos (10-7). The sun came out for our third group match against the ATLiens, and we steamrolled to a 26-12 victory with help from many of our bench players to give our starters a much-needed rest.
We dominated our semi-final match against the Greenville Griffins 24-0, and prepared for a hard-fought final against the ATL Renegades. Scoring was back and forth to a 14-12 close game, until a kick-and-chase from Harrison “Mongo” Lavery swung the momentum in our direction. Despite being down a man for most of the second half, we scored two unanswered tries to walk away with a 26-12 victory and the championship!
We had strong physical play throughout the day from young Alums Connor Bradley, Bryson Braswell, and Jack Madden, and great on-field leadership and skill from Sam Trammel. Several current players had a great showing including Elliott Meyer, Mike Sample, Donnie Yon, and Ike Edlein. Mongo earned Man of the Tournament honors – he was our leading try scorer and created even more opportunities, often drawing 2, 3, or even 4 tacklers before a quick offload to a speedy try opportunity from our wingers.
We’re especially proud of beating organized, practicing men’s clubs with a motley team! Many of us haven’t played together formally in years, and we learned from each other and improved throughout the tournament to bring home the cup.
UGA RFC (and Hot Dawgs) Coach Jesse Posnansky had a positive post-tournament message: “Between winning Savannah 2025 and recent top finishes in Asheville 7s, we’ve built a culture of winning rugby among our Alumni base. I’m glad to see this, and excited for the young boys who’ve contributed and witnessed this so we can bring this winning culture to our Collegiate side starting this fall”.
Beyond the great on-field results, this tournament was another much-enjoyed opportunity for intergenerational connection…between the social at the house and the laughs in downtown Asheville, this weekend was another great showing of the UGA RFC spirit, and has cemented this tournament as a summer tradition for our Club.
Stay tuned for news from the Club and Alumni Board about Alumni opportunities this fall. Thank you, and Go Dawgs!
Cheers,
Cameron “Zorro” Zahedi
Alumni Events Chair