Virginia Tech Men’s Rugby Awards and Scholarships
2015 Recipients
The Chris Haycocks Scholarship
The Chris Haycocks Scholarship for 2015 has been awarded to Freshman, Kelly Fernandi. Having played rugby since 6th grade, Fernandi will arrive at Virginia Tech with a lot of experience. Throughout his HS years he coped with the pressures of being both a football and rugby player, and has developed into a worthy leader among his peers in both sports. He was selected to captain his team, Prince William Youth RFC, in both his junior and senior years of high school. In addition, he was named captain for the Virginia All-Stars (a team he was selected for all four years of high school) at the regional all-star tournament last year. Through a strong performance at the tournament, Kelly was invited to the Stars and Stripes USA Eagles Camp in Ohio, but unfortunately had to turn it down due to a nagging injury. However, he remained on their radar and was later invited to the 2014 USA Eagles winter camp. In football he won all conference honors as an offensive tackle and defensive end while playing for his school, Culpepper County.
The Adam Kaufman Leadership Award
The Adam Kaufman Leadership Award for 2015 has been awarded to rising Senior Dan Hardwick. From Parsippany, New Jersey, Dan, a Finance and Accounting major with a 3.3 GPA, only started playing rugby the 2nd semester of his Sophomore year at Virginia Tech. Dan was a standout football receiver and free safety at Parsippany Hills HS helping lead the team to the New Jersey HS play-offs for the first time. Since converting to rugby, he has quickly established himself well as a quiet but strong leader among his teammates. His dedication to continue to learn and become the best player he can be, is second to none and he leads by example each and every time he dons a Virginia Tech rugby shirt. Despite his inexperience, Dan was selected as a member of the Virginia Tech Sevens team that competed at the Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship this spring in Philadelphia. This year Dan has also taken on the responsibility of being the team’s Treasurer.