Major League Rugby Announces The Results Of The 2024 MLR College Draft
North America's premier professional rugby league, the MLR has announced its 2024 college draft results. The fifth draft in the league's history showcased the most talented player pool seen so far. St. Mary's College of California led all schools with six players selected, while a total of 22 universities were represented.
Anthem RC, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, selected St. Mary's center Erich Storti with the first overall pick. Storti, a standout at De La Salle High School in Northern California, played a crucial role in leading St. Mary's to the D1A National Championship this spring.
The Major League Rugby (MLR) is a professional rugby union league featuring clubs from the United States and Canada. Founded in 2017, MLR is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and is officially sanctioned by USA Rugby, a member of Rugby Americas North (RAN), and part of World Rugby. In the 2023 season, the league consisted of twelve teams: eleven from the United States and one from Canada.
Storti played a key role in St. Mary's victory, scoring their second try in the championship game and excelling defensively and in kicking. He was named MVP of the match. Although he was selected for the USA national team this summer, Storti has yet to earn a cap. He is currently completing his MBA and is therefore not part of the current USA squad.
MLR employs a "Draft and Follow" system, whereby teams acquire rights to drafted players after the MLR College Draft. These rights can be activated at any time before the midpoint of the following MLR season when the player becomes eligible to compete. Teams can either sign the drafted players or trade their rights to other MLR clubs.
Anthem, a training ground for promising USA rugby players funded by World Rugby and USA Rugby, acquired the second overall pick in the draft and selected Queens University Ontario hooker Neil Trainor. Although he grew up in Canada, Trainor was born in Maryland. The hardworking hooker was the top #2 player at the MLR Rising camp. He previously played for the Toronto Arrows Academy and the Pacific Pride Development Academy in British Columbia.
This year, the New England Free Jacks made history by clinching their second consecutive Major League Rugby (MLR) Championship. They overcame a tough challenge from the Seattle Seawolves, winning 20-11 in the MLR title game at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego. The victory solidified the Free Jacks' place alongside Seattle as the only clubs to win two MLR Shields and achieve back-to-back championships.
JUDY ROTICH