A pair of South Surrey rugby players were among four recipients of BC Rugby bursaries this month.
Earl Marriott Secondary’s Talon McMullin and UBC’s Shoshanah Seumanutafa – a Semiahmoo Secondary alum – were each awarded $2,500 from the provincial rugby association “to assist them in achieving their national and international rugby goals.”
Seumanutafa’s teammate, Alexis Creek, B.C. native Emma Feldinger, and Abbotsford’s Josiah Levale were the other two recipients.
The funds come from BC Rugby’s Representative Player Bursary program.
According to a news release, all four players “have a wealth of rugby experience at the provincial level.”
McMullin is described by BC Rugby as “a rising star” who, in addition to playing for BC Rugby, has also played at the national level, during a U18 Canada Tour.
“Nothing is better than coming home from the U18 Canada Tour this year and my parents telling me how proud they are of me,” McMullin said in the release.
“When I put the Canadian jersey on I think of all the work I have done and all the things other people have done for me.”
At the high-school level, McMullin – along with his twin brother, Takoda – was instrumental in heading Earl Marriott to its first-ever triple-A provincial senior boys title last spring.
In the championship game June 1, EMS defeated Abbotsford’s Robert Bateman Timberwolves 46-19. Talon and Takoda combined to score half of their team’s 46 points.
Earlier this year, Seumanutafa, a centre who is in her second year with the Thunderbirds, and Feldinger were teammates with Team Canada’s under-20 women’s team during a playing tour of England.
“No player in this province should be restricted from pursuing their rugby goals on the grounds of financial constraints, which is exactly why the (bursary program) was conceived,” said BC Rugby CEO Annabel Kehoe.