Tennessee Volunteers: National Champions (in Rugby)

The Tennessee Volunteers won the 2025 National College Rugby Division 1-AA championship on December 13th for their second title.  The Volunteers defeated Bowling Green 21-15 at SaberCats Stadium in Houston, Texas.

After trailing, 7-0, 50 seconds into Saturday's match, fly-half Brendan O'Neill scored the Vols' first try of the contest, tying Bowling Green, 7-7. Prop Aidan O'Connor extended Tennessee's lead to, 14-7, before halftime.

Bowling Green scored a try in the second half with 53 minutes, 40 seconds remaining. The Falcons did not convert a conversion kick to tie the game. Joey Apel converted a three-point kick to give Bowling Green a, 15-14, lead in the 56th minute.

Roman Funkhouser scored Tennessee's winning try with two minutes remaining to seal the win over Bowling Green.

The Volunteers won the Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference (SCRC) title, beating Louisiana State University in the semis and Kentucky in the final. In the national tournament, they defeated Sam Houston in the quarterfinals and Texas A&M in the semifinals.