Engineering Championships

By Rhiannon Potkey. Photography courtesy of National Collegiate Rugby.

Joey Squirlock wanted to join the club rugby team at the University of Tennessee when he first arrived on campus as a freshman in 2022. He played the sport in high school in Maryland and wasn’t ready to give it up because it brought him so much joy.

But Squirlock was worried about whether he could balance the academic load required of being an engineering major at UT with the obligations of being a rugby player. His first practice with the team alleviated his concern.

“I thought it doesn’t really make sense for a lot of engineers to be on the team. But then I got on the team and saw, ‘you’re an engineer, you’re an engineer, you’re an engineer.’ I was shocked,” Squirlock said. “I realized if they could figure out how to make it work, I could figure it out as well if I stayed on task and managed my time well.”

Squirlock and his fellow engineering Vols reaped the ultimate reward for their dedication by being crowned national champions.

No. 1-ranked Tennessee (12-0) completed its best season in the program’s 55-year history, capturing the National Collegiate Rugby Division I-AA title with a 21-15 win over Bowling Green in the championship game on December 13, 2025, in Houston, Texas.

The team included 18 students from the Tickle College of Engineering, spanning nearly all departments and grade levels.

“Winning the title was incredibly rewarding. To see all of our hard work and dedication pay off was really special,” said Niko Zaharas, a rising junior biomedical engineering major. “It’s a great feeling to win a championship for the seniors, graduates, old boys, and all the guys that have built our culture and tradition over the years, especially to get a win for our coaching staff, who are so committed to the program and watching us be successful.”

For the Love of the Game

As a club team, Tennessee Rugby doesn’t receive any funding from the university, and the players are not on athletic scholarships. The team must raise its own money or rely on donations to participate in events and fund travel.

The commitment required is part of what made winning the title even more meaningful for the engineering Vols.

Along with his classes and rugby, Squirlock served as a research assistant on campus and worked 20 hours a week at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He graduated in the spring with a mechanical engineering degree and minor in aerospace engineering,

Being able to hoist the national championship trophy after playing his final college rugby match provided Squirlock with an indelible memory.

“It’s better than I could have ever imagined. What a way to go out,” he said. “I’ve been playing with a bunch of the same guys all four years, and we’ve all been working for this. It feels amazing to have accomplished it.”