#sam cusano

PHILADELPHIA — California beat Clemson, 50-0, to complete a three-match sweep at the Collegiate Rugby 7s Championship, capping the Golden Bears' 5-1 June at the CRC with a win over the Tigers after a 38-0 shutout of Virginia Tech and 34-5 win over Wisconsin earlier at Talen Energy Stadium. Forced to regroup in a bizarre tournament structure that almost assured that either Cal or Life would be left out of the cup bracket after pool play, the Bears played solid 7s rugby to seal their victory. "As I said after Saturday, we played pretty well again today," said head coach Jack Clark. "Now, us scoring 120-5 in plate matches is mostly a disservice to the teams with legitimate aspirations toward the plate. We accept our end of the proposition, but it doesn't feel right for others." The Rugby Bears exited the event relieved for the status of freshman Jason Severance, who was released from a local hospital after being transported for observation following an injury in the first half, and is now with his teammates and parents. The Golden Bears, winners of three of four competitions they entered, including the PAC 7s conference championship, complete their 2018-19 year in Olympic 7 with an overall record of 22-1. Nine of the 13 student-athletes who competed at the 2019 CRC return for the 2019-20 year, which awaits the program just around the corner as the United States prepares to compete in Rugby 7s at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. "I am proud of how the boys were able to focus on the next most important thing and finish strong," said graduated senior captain Nic Mirhashem. "Very excited for the boys returning in the fall. They're a very talented and hardworking bunch."

BERKELEY – The Golden Bears compete this weekend at the Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby 7s Championship in Philadelphia, where California joins the six-pool, 24-team field at Talen Energy Stadium. Cal takes on Indiana at 11:10 a.m. ET to begin play in Pool C Saturday, followed by Colorado at 1:30 p.m. ET and Life at 3:15 p.m. ET. The Bears' first and last matches of pool play are on ESPN+. Other pools at the CRC include Clemson, Lindenwood, Temple and Virginia Tech in Pool A; Notre Dame, Penn State, St. Bonaventure and UCLA in Pool B; Boston College, Iona, Kutztown and Wisconsin in Pool D; Arizona, Fordham, Saint Joseph's and Saint Mary's in Pool E; and Army, Dartmouth, Navy and South Carolina in Pool F. The six pool winners from Saturday's matches will be joined by the two next-best teams in Sunday's championship bracket, culminating with the championship cup final at 4:30 p.m. ET. Television coverage Sunday is on ESPN2 and ESPNEWS. Cal, five-time national 7s champions from 2013-17, has won all three 7s events it has entered so far this year and comes into the 2019 CRC with a season record of 17-0 in the Olympic form of the game. The Bears carry with them an all-time 7s record of 169-18-0 (.903), including an all-time mark of 43-3 (.934) at the CRC. In its pool, Cal has seen Life four times before at the CRC and won them all, beating the Running Eagles in the 2012 bronze medal match, 22-12; the 2013 final, 19-14; the 2015 semifinals, 33-5; and the 2017 final, 19-0. The 2019 CRC will be the first 7s action for the Running Eagles since last year at the same event, when Life went 4-1, beating Notre Dame and Air Force, and Penn State twice, including 12-5 in the quarterfinals, before falling to eventual champion Lindenwood in the semifinals, 17-7. The Bears are 3-0 all-time vs. the Buffaloes in 7s but will be facing them for the first time at the CRC. The Buffs most recently went 3-0 at the Rocky Mountain 7s after advancing to the final of the Las Vegas Invitational 7s in February, when Colorado upset Kutztown, 19-17, in the semis following shutouts of Saint Joseph's and Clemson. Cal bested Indiana in both their previous meetings in 7s, winning in the 2017 CRC semifinals, 29-14, and in pool play at the 2018 USAR 7s, 34-14. The Hoosiers enter the 2019 CRC coming out of the Big 10 7s series this spring, highlighted a 4-2 showing at the Northwestern 7s. Indiana most recently competed at the USAR College 7s, where the Hoosiers' highlights were wins over USC, 27-10, and Arkansas, 15-12. The student-athletes selected for Cal's CRC campaign are led by senior captain Nic Mirhashem, a member of Cal's 2017 CRC championship team as a sophomore. Senior Troy Lockyear, a 2018 All-American, is set to compete in his first CRC, as is senior Elliot Webb, whose brother Russell is now an international player for Hong Kong after captaining Cal's 2017 CRC championship team in his final season. Selections from the Bears' junior class start with Sam Cusano, MVP of the 2017 CRC (pictured above), and continue with Christian Dyer, set to make his second trip to Philadelphia. Ken Kurihara, who contributed three tries and six conversions to Cal's 2018 PAC 7s title, will play in his first CRC. Half the Bears' squad is comprised of frosh-sophs, from sophomores Sam Golla, Adam Roeske and Marcus Shankland, to freshmen Henry Poon, Sam Walsh and Jason Severance. All members of Cal's most recent PAC 7s championship team, they will be playing in their first national 7s postseason with the exception of Shankland, who competed at the 2018 USAR College 7s. "It has been a long season, but this always an exciting way to wrap things up," said head coach Jack Clark. "Half of our 12 players have never participated in the CRC, which results in us being overall inexperience for the task at hand. This said, the team is looking forward to the challenge. A member of the U.S. Rugby Hall of Fame, Clark leads the Golden Bears with a fellow Hall of Famer in associate head coach Tom Billups. Together, they have coached the Bears throughout their nascent 7s history and all five of Cal's national 7s titles. Cal's first CRC championship team in 2013 included future USA Olympian Danny Barrett, who excelled on the international stage at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio and is poised once again to represented the United States at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.