WESTON, Massachusetts – With a university-leading 1,395 points as of this past weekend, Russell Rau '25 of Westminster, Mass., has rewritten the Regis College Pride Athletics history books by becoming the all-time leading scorer at the university with 1,479 points (as of February 4). He surpasses the previous record of 1,311 points, set by Ryan Chambers '14. This is one of several records the 6'-5" Rau has broken during his time at Regis and will leave a legacy of athletic excellence when he graduates in May.
Rau's record-setting year follows women's basketball players Madi Zancan '26 and Courtney Doherty '24 both reaching the 1,000-point milestone in their careers.
In recognition of his continued success on the court, Rau was named one of two U.S. Basketball Writers Association Division III National Players of the Week for the period ending February 2. He was also named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Player of the Week with Rau averaging 31.5 points and 14.5 rebounds while leading Regis to key victories.
Starting in all 16 games played this season and averaging 18.9 points per game, Rau scored a career-high 34 points on Jan. 18 against Mitchell College. The Pride have six regular season contests left this season as they continue to fight for positioning and a berth in GNAC post-season play.
"I realized I could eclipse the record about halfway through my junior year," shared Rau. "I was on pace to become the fastest men's basketball player to 1000 points, so when I eclipsed that milestone I knew that the points record was also possible. My reaction was joy and excitement. I just kind of proved to myself that all of the work I put in everyday to become better had paid off and I had achieved something great."
"Russell made a huge jump from his freshman to sophomore year," said head men's basketball coach Nathan Hager. "He came in that second season with confidence that was derived from being in great shape. The efficiency in his scoring gave me that hint he could be great and maybe flirt with the record. There was chatter leading up to it [breaking the record], but with him being so close and having a hot start to the year, it was more of an inevitability."
Rau holds university records for career points per game, 15.2; career rebounding leader, 811; single season rebounding leader, 283 for the 2023-2024 season; single season rebounds, 10.48; and single season scoring leader, 1,470, 2023-2024. He holds the second-ranked records for single game scoring leader with 34 points against Mitchell College on Jan. 18, 2025 and most field goals per game with 13 against Lasell University on Feb. 8, 2023.
"My athletic experience at Regis has complemented my academic studies well," added Rau. "I knew that in basketball you have to have consistency and focus to succeed, so I tried to apply those same concepts to my academics here and I would say that it worked out pretty well for me."
He also holds three single-game rebounding records. They include second-most with 18 rebounds against Mitchell on Jan. 13, 2024; fourth-most with 16 rebounds against Anna Maria on Jan. 6, 2024; and 5th most with 15 against Rivier College on Feb. 3, 2024.
A standout both on and off the court, Rau is a business major who played three sports—basketball, soccer, and cross country—at Notre Dame Preparatory School, where he also served as class valedictorian.
"What I have learned on the court and in practice that will help me as I begin my career is that nothing is just given to you," reflected Rau. "Everything that you want on the court or in life has to be earned through hard work, sacrifice, persistence, and dedication. Nothing worth getting will be served to you on a silver platter."
"Russ hits all the facets of the total student-athlete here at Regis," added Hager. "He is a stellar student with multiple semesters on the Dean's list. He is a campus leader involved as an orientation leader, SAAC representative, and part of our Team IMPACT leadership group. He has received many team awards, GNAC awards, and most importantly he has helped lead the team to three winning seasons during his tenure here at Regis."
After graduation, Rau plans to "pursue a few different business ventures and possibly try and play pro basketball overseas."
