Posted: Jun 13, 2020
By Dana Becker
Elijah Hayes, who helped Iowa Central claim the D1AA 2019 fall national championship, was selected in the inaugural Major League Rugby Draft.
The MLR Collegiate Draft took place Saturday night with 12 teams selecting players. The draft was put together to provide a structure for managing the transfer of men's rugby players from college to Major League Rugby in the United States.
In the second round with the 19th pick, the Utah Warriors Rugby team tabbed Hayes. He joined Derek Ellingson, John Cray Powers and Danny Giannscoli as picks for the team.
Hayes started playing rugby in his senior season of high school. The 6-foot-3, 280-pounder also played a season at Southeastern Louisiana University.