USRF Announces 2008 Kevin Higgins College Scholarship Recipients

San Diego, CA (October 6, 2008) – The USRF has announced the inaugural winners of the Kevin Higgins College Scholarships. The $1,000 scholarships, named in honor of one of the all-time great U.S. centers, are awarded to graduating high school seniors who have gone on to continue their education and rugby at the university level.This year’s recipients are:Tyler Vanston’s high school didn’t have a rugby program so he started one. Two year’s later his team celebrated a state championship. He also organized a charity rugby tournament benefitting four area families. Read more about Tyler Vanston.Pat Hickey created a rugby team too…when he was in 5th grade. Eight years and several championships later, Pat was still leading his North Bay U19 side. He’s helped organize several fundraisers for his team all while retaining a GPA of at least 3.5 for all four years. Read more about Pat Hickey.Kimberly Hash played a variety of positions during her teams’ undefeated season this past year but never complained. She also carried a 3.7 GPA in the classroom and found time to volunteer at a number of local organizations. Read more about Kimberly Hash.Seymira Salamy was having trouble fitting in in her new high school environment. That is until she found rugby. Now she is one of the up and coming players in the women’s game. She has already been selected for the US U19s, U20s and U23s Sevens team. Read more about Seymira Salamy. Kelton Miller’s family moved around a lot when he was a kid. He couldn’t always find a team so he would start his own. He’s already started two programs and looks to create more. He also gave up a NCAA Division One football scholarship to concentrate on rugby. Read more about Kelton Miller.Sean Conger fell in love his freshman year of high school…with rugby. That love blossomed to the point where Sean was selected for the USA U17 team. In addition to rugby, Sean also found time to participate in many school groups and volunteer for several charities. Read more about Sean Conger.“Deciding on those players to receive a scholarship was a very difficult task for the selection committee,” said USRF Executive Director Brian Vizard. “Just about every application we received were from strong candidates. We feel that those individuals we did select will go on to have long and fulfilling rugby careers, and will represent the sport and the USRF with pride.”The USRF would like to congratulate its 2008 recipients of the Kevin Higgins College Scholarships.The USRF is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization established in 1963. Although its main focus is supporting youth and high school rugby, the Foundation also provides grants to coaches and referees; establishes international student exchanges and college scholarships, has assisted the United States Collegiate All-Americans and Boys Under-19 teams, and also provides grants to Safety and Risk Management Research.