ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Lewis Gray of the Navy men's rugby team was selected as the winner of the 2023 Rudy Scholz Award. He was selected as the award recipient after winning the ballot from the Rudy Scholz Award selection committee.
The award is presented annually by the Washington Athletic Club to the top men's college rugby player in the country. Gray will be presented the award at a gala event hosted by the Washington Athletic Club in Seattle, Wash., on June 10.
The Jupiter, Fla., native becomes the second Midshipmen to receive the honor after Connor McNerney claimed it in 2018. Navy joins St. Mary's as the only programs to have multiple winners since the award was introduced in 2016.
"It feels great to win this award, but it's a testament to the work of not just me, but the whole team. This group gave me an opportunity to excel, as well as our coaches," said Gray. "It's a team effort, but I'm honored to receive the recognition.
"This team is all about culture and accountability. We hold ourselves accountable from the lowest level to the highest level. We're making sure everyone is doing their part to help this team win championships. I've seen it more this year than I ever had before and the outcome shows the result of the hard work and dedication to making each other better."
Gray ended the season as Navy's top scorer with 166 points. The senior led the Mids with 17 tries and finished tied as the team leader in made penalty kicks with seven. Additionally, his 30 made conversion kicks ranked second on the team.
Navy's center scored in 15 of his 17 appearances this season. He contributed a season-high 30 points on four tries and five conversion kicks against Mount St. Mary's (Sept. 17).
Gray's defense shined in Saturday's, 28-22, national championship victory against No. 5 California. The senior forced a vital turnover after Cal had driven inside Navy's five-meter line in the final minutes of the match.
"After winning the title last night I thought back to the progression from my freshman season when I first played rugby here and how this team has grown with coach (Gavin) Hickie and coach (James) Willocks," added Gray. "I knew it was a matter of time before we would win a championship, but I didn't know when it was going to be. The fact that we accomplished that in my last game at Navy meant the world to me."
Gray will serve as a Marine Corps pilot following graduation.
