Kenneth Stern (rugby union)

Kenneth Mitchell Stern (born 21 May 1988) is a Filipino-American rugby union player for the Philippines national rugby union team, nicknamed the "Volcanoes".^[1] He had represented the Philippines in both rugby fifteens and sevens. His primary position is wing.

Kenneth Stern

Birth name	Kenneth Mitchell Stern
Date of birth	(1988-05-21) 21 May 1988 (age 34)
Place of birth	Stamford, CT, United States
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight	170 lb (77 kg; 12 st)
University	Boston University (2010)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Wing Amateur team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) Village Lions (New York City) Gordon RFC (Sydney, Australia) () National team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 2009 —  Philippines National sevens team(s) Years Team Comps 2010 — Philippines 7s

Collegiate career

Originally from Quezon, Stern's family emigrated to Stamford, Connecticut, where he attended Fairfield College Preparatory School in nearby Fairfield, Connecticut. He graduated from Boston University in 2010, where he was a member of the rugby team. His collegiate rugby honors included New England Rugby Football Union All-Stars, the Northeast Collegiate All-Stars and the All-American 7s Team.^[2]

Stern was also a member of the New England Immortals rugby league select side that beat Canada in 2010.

National team career

Stern made his International debut for the Philippines in the 2009 Asian Five Nations tournament, where the Philippines earned a promotion to Division 2 by beating Iran and Guam. In 2010, he was a member of the Volcano squad who took home the shield, scoring two tries in a 34–12 win over India^[3] helping the Philippines to their second promotion in as many years. Stern would continue to play at wing with the Volcanoes in 2011, including a test match against Hong Kong,^[4] and again in 2012, helping the Philippines get yet another promotion to the A5N Top 5.

Stern also represented the Philippines in rugby sevens, including the Volcanoes first ever World Cup appearance in the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens held in Moscow, Russia. He also was a member of the 2014 Asian Games squad in Incheon, South Korea.^[5]

Personal life

Aside from rugby, Stern has also had a successful modeling career, appearing in such publications as Cosmopolitan in both the United States and the Philippines, receiving "Hunk of the Month" honors in the December 2011 issue and was named a finalist in the 2011 "Cosmo Bachelor of the Year" poll.^[6] His sister Elizabeth Mae Stern was the former Philippine figure skating national champion^[7] and an Olympic hopeful.

References

1. "Philippine team for Rugby World Cup Sevens announced". Official PRFU Website. 19 June 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
2. . 30 April 2008. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
3. "Philippine Volcanoes Defeat India to take home the Asian 5 Nations Division 2 Championship". Official PRFU Website. 6 June 2010. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
4. "Philippine National Men's 15s Team vs. Hong Kong". Official PRFU Website. 25 May 2012. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
5. . 17th Asian Games Incheon 2014 Official Website. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
6. "Catching Up With Philippine Volcanoes' Kenneth Stern". Cosmopolitan. 3 January 2012. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
7. . Inquirer.net. 20 June 2009. Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2014.