KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- A first year program full of a group of men that have never played together before are headed to the Final Four. The Adrian College men's rugby team took down No. 3 ranked Illinois State in the Regional Championship on Sunday afternoon. The Bulldogs came out on top by a score of 55-17 to win the Knoxville Regional.

It was a close match through the first half with Adrian leading 12-10 at the break. Nicholas Andiarena and Aleki Sanita Tautua'a scored tries for the Bulldogs with a conversion from Macgregor Adams.

The Bulldogs came out strong ready to grab the win in the second half. Michael Pakofe, Michael Karns, and Sione Mamata each added a try for Adrian to help pull ahead. Sam Williams and Petelo Vatuvei added two tries each in the half. On the days, Adams recorded a pair of conversions along with two from Williams. Vatuvei added a conversion as well as did Seti Latu.

The Bulldogs will wait to see who their opponent will be after the results of the other regional champions. Also making it to the Final Four is No. 1 Norwich, No. 7 Thomas More, and No. 9. Northern Iowa.

The Final Four in Houston will take place during the weekend of December 10-12, 2021. Stay tuned for information regarding match times and locations.