Canadian rugby sevens star Andrew Battaglia plays for the University of California Golden Bears in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - University of California Golden Bears, Milton Wong
Republished August 03, 2015 - 1:59 PM
Original Publication Date August 03, 2015 - 11:35 AM
TORONTO - First-team all-American. Three-time national sevens champion. School record-holder.
Canadian Andrew Battaglia's rugby resume is top-drawer. And the 21-year-old sevens star from Richmond Hill, Ont., isn't finished yet. He is set to rejoin the University of California Golden Bears this fall for his fifth and final year of eligibility.
He will return as a first team all-American in sevens as well as an honourable mention in 15s, as announced last Friday by USA Rugby.
Cal's 17-12 overtime win over Kuztown on May 31 was the Golden Bears' third straight national collegiate sevens title and the 29th overall championship for the school's storied rugby program — the 25th for Cal's U.S. Rugby Hall of Fame coach Jack Clark.
"He's not only a great coach but a great mentor," said Battaglia. "Almost all the guys on the team, they leave the program as a man. So we really mature throughout the program, you really get a sense of what a high-performance team is. And we all develop, physically and mentally."
The sevens triumph came about a month after Battaglia, playing wing, and Cal finished runner-up to BYU in the national 15-man final.
Battaglia plays sevens in the fall, 15s from January to May, and then back to sevens for the national championship charge in May/June.
He chose Cal for both academic and athletic reasons.
"Obviously rugby was a big factor when I decided to choose schools but the engineering program at Cal also drew me," said Battaglia.
There are no rugby scholarships at Cal so there is no free ride.
The Golden Bears were third in the sevens national championship in Battaglia's freshman year. They have been unbeatable when it counted ever since, even though their rivals always circle contest with Cal on the calendar.
"I do know that when we play another team, it's always their best game," he said.
Cal plays a 22-game 15s season, drawing anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 at home games. That includes an annual challenge match with the University of British Columbia.
"It's a great rivalry," he said.
At five foot nine and 191 pounds, Battaglia is compact and very fast. He is tied for Cal's all-time record for sevens appearances with 65 games and stands second in tries scored with 40.
Other Canadians on Cal's championship team were Spencer Morris of West Vancouver and Evan Coleman of Vancouver.
Battaglia has made a mark in rugby outside of the U.S. collegiate ranks. He represented Canada in sevens at the 2001 Commonwealth Youth Games on the Isle of Man and captained Canada at the 2013 Summer Universiade in Kazan, Russia.
"It's my dream, to play international rugby — sevens specifically," said Battaglia, who has also played for Ontario's under-19 15-man side. "And if I can play for Canada, that would be absolutely incredible."
He went to several national sevens camps as a freshman, but found it was impossible to combine the camps with school.
"Since then I've kind of been out of contact. But I'm hoping in the next couple of years I might be brought back."
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News from © The Canadian Press, 2015