Division 1-A Rugby

Last updated

Division 1-A Rugby
Current season, competition or edition:
Rugby football current event.svg 2024 Division 1-A Rugby Championship
Division 1-A Rugby Logo.png
FormerlyCollege Premier Division
Sport Rugby union
Founded1980 (as National Collegiate Championship)
2010 (as Division 1-A)
First season2011
CommissionerPaul Santinelli [1]
Organising body USA Rugby
No. of teams46
CountryUnited States
Most recent
champion(s)		 Navy (1st title)
(2023)
Most titles California (26 titles)
TV partner(s) CBSSN, ESPN+, The Rugby Network
Official website craa.rugby/d1a

Division 1-A Rugby (formerly known as the College Premier Division) is the highest level of college rugby within the United States and is administered by USA Rugby. Division 1-A rugby is modeled after NCAA athletic competitions, with the 46 D1-A rugby schools divided into eight conferences: East, Midwest, Rocky Mountain, California, Big Ten, Red River, PAC, and Independent. [2]

Contents

The regular season sees all teams in the conference play one another, with the two top seeds qualifying for the playoffs. Playoffs are a single-elimination format, occurring each year in April and May, with the winner of D1-A declared the National Champion. [3] Regular seasons for most conferences are played in the spring, although some cold-weather conferences, such as the Big Ten Universities, play their regular season in the fall.

The competition's first season was played during 2011 and consisted of teams from 31 schools from across the United States. The first ever match of the competition was played on Friday March 4, the Arizona State Sun Devils hosted the Colorado Buffaloes at the Arizona State University Soccer Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. [4] The 2011 final was played at Rio Tinto Stadium, in Sandy, Utah, on the 21 May 2011.

D1-A Rugby secured sponsorships in 2012 with World Rugby Shop and Veloce.

Several players who have excelled in the top level competitions in college rugby have also represented their country as part of the United States national under-20 rugby union team or the All Americans rugby union team.

Formation

History of college rugby in the U.S.

One of the Harvard v McGill games played in 1874 HarvardMcGill.jpg
One of the Harvard v McGill games played in 1874

A group of British Army officers organized a game of rugby against the students of McGill University (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) in 1865; the Canadians were so enamored of the game that they decided to continue to play football by the Rugby code. In 1874 McGill organized two games of football against Harvard, one was played under Harvard's rules, the other under "McGill" rugby rules. [5] [6] [7] In late 1874, the Harvard team traveled to Montreal to play McGill in rugby, and won by three tries in front of 2,000 spectators. [8] [9] [10] In 1875 Harvard athlete Nathaniel Curtis challenged Yale's captain, William Arnold to a rugby-style game. [11] [12] Columbia, Princeton and Yale were persuaded by Harvard to play football according to the Rugby School code in 1876. These four colleges formed the Intercollegiate Football Association (IFA), an organization that eventually expanded to become the "Ivy League." In fact, the governing body of all American intercollegiate varsity sports, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) traces its roots to the IFA and is thus a product of rugby rather than any of the sports it now governs.

By 1886 the Yale coach Walter Camp had modified rugby's rules in order to solve the problem of tackled players lying on the ball by introducing a series of four downs to gain ten yards; ironically in the same year the Rugby Football Union in England solved the same problem by requiring that tackled players release the ball. This is still one of the most fundamental differences between Rugby Union and American Football but one further modification, that of allowing one forward pass per down, was suggested by the Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne which, when accepted in 1905, gave rise to that distinctly American form of football.

1924 USA Olympic team that won the gold medal USA 1924 rugby team.jpg
1924 USA Olympic team that won the gold medal

Around the turn of the century American football was being frowned upon for its violence. Publication of graphic photographs of a harsh game between Swarthmore College and the University of Pennsylvania [13] caused a stir; President Theodore Roosevelt was forced to insist upon reform or abolition of the game. During this period of uncertainty, rugby made a brief but important reappearance in many colleges, most notably at the University of California and at Stanford. It was Stanford that supplied most of the players to the two US Olympic rugby teams (1920 and 1924), along with Santa Clara University and the University of California, who claimed fame by winning both gold medals. As 1924 was the last time the Olympic Games staged a rugby competition, this made the USA the defending Olympic champions when rugby was re-introduced after almost a century at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

In 1934, there was only one official rugby body in the United States, the Eastern Rugby Union, with a total of 9 member teams. By 1950, there were 30 clubs in the US, existing only in small pockets on the East and West Coasts.

Duke Blue Devils (hoops jersey) match in 1968 Duke rugby 1968 02.jpg
Duke Blue Devils (hoops jersey) match in 1968

It was not until the mid-1960s that rugby began to re-appear with regular fixtures and competitions; the game suited the mildly anarchistic temperament of American College students of the period;[ citation needed ] it required minimal costs for the individual, the style of the game provided constant action, there was an emphasis on enjoyment rather than winning because rugby was not part of the now rigidly institutionalized athletic system that American Universities had developed. The formation of the United States of America Rugby Football Union (USARFU, now USA Rugby) in 1976 was a major organizational milestone for the sport in the US, and by 1980 there were over 1,000 clubs nationwide.

In 2011, there were 2,433 clubs in the United States with more than 88,000 registered players, approximately 40% of which are college players (about three-quarters being male and one quarter female). [14]

Formation of Division 1-A

The 2011 CPD participants, colored by conference Pacific gold -- West green -- Mid-South blue -- East red Map US Collegiate Rugby Conferences.png
The 2011 CPD participants, colored by conference
Pacific gold -- West green -- Mid-South blue -- East red

Prior to the formation of Division 1-A, there had been some difficulty in determining how many teams each territory would send to the Sweet 16 tournament, as the relative strengths of the rugby teams in each territory fluctuated over time, and despite the disparity in the levels of rugby, it was politically difficult to deny a union any playoff bids, even though the team that came third or fourth in a more powerful territory might be a better side. Further problems occurred because of the different competitive seasons across the continent; in the East the league season is played in the fall while in the South and West spring is the primary season, so this structure was frequently open to criticism.

Because of these issues, and to raise the level of rugby in the consciousness of the American public, USA Rugby restructured Division 1 college rugby. In 2010, several of the top college teams agreed to form the College Premier League to begin play in spring 2011. [15] USA Rugby and the top colleges believed that an elite level college rugby competition would make it easier to get college rugby onto TV and attract sponsors. [15] USA Rugby also believed that a higher level college competition would develop players to potentially play for the U.S. national team. [16]

The governance of collegiate rugby was split and diverged in 2021. National Collegiate Rugby (NCR), formerly NSCRO, emerged as a rival by expanding beyond small colleges to include the higher divisions. The umbrella of the USA Rugby Collegiate Council includes College Rugby Association of America (CRAA), among several other organizations. [17] In 2021, there were five men’s DIA conferences plus independents under USA Rugby/CRAA. Two men’s conferences that played DIA in 2019 joined NCR in 2021. [17]

D1-A Championships results

Ed.YearChampionScoreRunners-upVenueCityAtt.TV CoverageSemi-finalists
12011 California 21–14 BYU Rio Tinto Stadium Sandy 11,000ESPN3 / ESPNU Arkansas St. / Utah
22012 BYU 49–42 Arkansas St. Rio Tinto Stadium Sandy 8,733ESPN3 Life University / St. Mary's
32013 Life University 16–14 St. Mary's UNCG Soccer Stadium Greensboro 4,000ESPN3 / ESPNU Arkansas St. / Cal Poly
42014 St. Mary's 21–6 Life University Steuber Rugby Stadium Palo Alto 4,000USA Rugby TV Arkansas St. / Lindenwood
52015 St. Mary's 30–24 Life University Fifth Third Bank Atlanta 3,100ESPN3 Lindenwood / Davenport
62016 Life University 24–20 St. Mary's St. Mary's Stadium Moraga 2,000Rugby Channel Lindenwood / Utah
72017 St. Mary's 30–24 Life University St. Mary's Stadium Moraga 2,000 CBSSN BYU / Arizona
82018 Life University 60–5 California Stevens Stadium Santa Clara 4,000 CBSSN Penn State / Lindenwood
92019 Life University 29–26 California Stevens Stadium Santa Clara 4,000 CBSSN St. Mary's / Lindenwood
102022 Army 20–8 St. Mary's Aveva Stadium Houston –Rugby Network Lindenwood / California
112023 Navy 28–22 California Aveva Stadium Houston –Rugby Network Lindenwood / BYU

Collegiate Championship results prior to D1-A Formation

The earliest claims to a national title go back to the mid-1960s when Sports Illustrated Magazine started demonstrating an interest in Collegiate rugby. During the 1965-1966 season, the University of Notre Dame won several cups and tournaments and, in the absence of a bona fide national championship, Sports Illustrated named them unofficial Collegiate Rugby Champions. [18] The next year, under the authority of USARFU, Notre Dame played a match on April 8, 1967 against California at Memorial Stadium for the unofficial national championship, again as a result of both teams being highly rated by Sports Illustrated; Cal won 37-3. [19]

National Invitational Championship

The first official National Collegiate Championship series began in 1980. Rugby in the United States is divided into territorial unions (the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Northeast, Pacific Coast, the South, Southern California, and the West). Each of these unions organized collegiate rugby into "Division One" and "Division Two" league competitions, generally with promotion and relegation between the divisions. Between 1980 and 2010 each Territory qualified Division One and Two teams for the Sweet 16 of a D1 and D2 National championship.

California was dominant in Division One for the 31 years that the competition was run in this format, winning 25 titles. Air Force won three titles; Harvard, San Diego State, and Brigham Young University each won one D1 national championship.

YearLocationChampionScoreRunner-up3rd Place4th Place
1980Davenport, IA California 15–9 Air Force Illinois Navy
1981Dayton, OHCalifornia6–3 OT Harvard Miami (OH)Kansas St.
1982Greeley, COCalifornia15–14 Life College MichiganNew Mexico St.
1983Athens, GACalifornia13–3Air ForceNavyIllinois
1984Pebble Beach, CAHarvard12–4ColoradoLong Beach St.Miami (OH)
1985Pebble Beach, CACalifornia31–6MarylandColoradoIllinois
1986Pebble Beach, CACalifornia6–4DartmouthAir ForceBowling Green
1987Pebble Beach, CA San Diego State 10–9Air ForceBowling GreenDartmouth
1988Pebble Beach, CACalifornia9–3DartmouthAir ForceBowling Green
1989Colorado Springs, COAir Force25–7Penn StateArmyLong Beach St.
1990Pebble Beach, CAAir Force18–12ArmyOhio StateLong Beach St.
1991Houston, TXCalifornia20–14ArmyOhio StateWyoming
1992Colorado Springs, COCalifornia27–17ArmyAir ForcePenn State
1993Houston, TXCalifornia36–6Air ForceHarvardWisconsin
1994Washington, DCCalifornia27–13NavyAir ForcePenn State
1995Berkeley, CACalifornia48–16Air ForcePenn StateArmy
1996Colorado Springs, COCalifornia47–6Penn StateStanfordNavy
1997Berkeley, CACalifornia41–15Penn StateUC DavisStanford
1998San Francisco, CACalifornia34–15StanfordNavyIndiana Univ.
1999San Francisco, CACalifornia36–5Penn StateNavyArmy
2000Tampa Bay, FLCalifornia62–16WyomingArmyIndiana Univ. of PA (IUP)
2001Virginia Beach, VACalifornia86–11Penn StateNavyArmy
2002Virginia Beach, VACalifornia43–22UtahArmyWyoming
2003Stanford, CAAir Force45–37HarvardCaliforniaArmy
2004Stanford, CACalifornia46–24Cal Poly, SLONavy / Air Force
2005Stanford, CACalifornia44–7Utah BYU / Navy
2006Stanford, CACalifornia29–26BYUUtah / Penn State
2007Stanford, CACalifornia37–7BYUNavy / Penn State
2008Stanford, CACalifornia59–7BYUSt. Mary's / Colorado
2009Stanford, CABYU25–22CaliforniaArmy / San Diego State
2010Stanford, CACalifornia19–7BYUArkansas State / Army

Participants

Map of Conferences in D1-A Rugby for the 2019 season D1a conferences.png
Map of Conferences in D1-A Rugby for the 2019 season

Below is the list of Division 1A conference participants for the 2023–2024 season. [2]

East

East Conference
SchoolNCAA ConferenceCityCoachStadiumFoundedJoined D1-A
Life (NAIA - SSAC) Marietta, Georgia Colton CariagaLupo Family Field19802011
Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers MAAC Emmitsburg, Maryland Jay Miles19732023
Army Patriot League West Point, NY Matt Sherman Anderson Complex, Warrior Field19612011
Penn State Big Ten State College, PA Justin HundleyPSU West Campus Pitch1962 [22] 2011
Southern Virginia USA South Buena Vista, Virginia Aidyn Ferris
Marshall Ferris		20192023
Navy Patriot League and AAC Annapolis, Maryland Gavin Hickie Prusmack Rugby Complex19632011
Mary Washington C2C Fredericksburg, Virginia Charbel Medlej2023

Mid-West

Mid-South Conference
SchoolNCAA ConferenceCityCoachStadiumFoundedJoined D1-A
Lindenwood Ohio Valley Conference St. Charles, Missouri Josh Macy Harlen C. Hunter Stadium 20112013
Davenport GLIAC Caledonia, Michigan Dustin SteedmanDU Turf Field20092012
Adrian College MIAA Adrian, Michigan Zachary Mizell [23] 2023
McKendree University GLVC Lebanon, Illinois Cameron Wyper [24] 2023

California

California Conference
SchoolNCAA ConferenceCityCoachStadiumFoundedJoined D1-A
Cal Poly BWC San Luis Obispo, CA Chris O'Brien Cal Poly Lower Sports Complex1965 [25] 2011
Saint Mary's WCC Moraga, CA Tim O'Brien St. Mary's Stadium18882011
San Diego State MW San Diego, CA Jason Merrill ENS 700 Field 19582012
UC Santa Barbara BWC Santa Barbara, CA Neil Foote2012
Santa Clara WCC Santa Clara, CA Paul Keeler Bellomy Field19612012
Santa Cruz C2C Santa Cruz, CA 1967 [26] 2023
UC Davis BWC Davis, CA Andy MalpassRussell Field2016
Long Beach BWC Long Beach, California Jason ReynoldsPeter Sio19742023
Sacramento BSC Sacramento, California 1964 [27] 2023

Rocky Mountain

Rocky Mountain Conference
SchoolNCAA ConferenceCityCoachStadiumFoundedJoined D1-A
BYU Big 12 Provo, Utah Steve St. Pierre South Field 1962 [28] 2011
Air Force MW Colorado Springs, CO Denny Merideth19682011
Colorado Pac-12 Boulder, Colorado Chris HansonKittredge Field19672011
Colorado State MW Fort Collins, Colorado Jone Naqica19702011
Wyoming MW Laramie, Wyoming David Finnoff19722011
Utah State MW Logan, Utah Morgan SmithUSU Legacy Field19672016
Utah Valley University WAC Orem, Utah 2023

Big Ten

Big Ten Conference
SchoolNCAA ConferenceCityCoachStadiumFoundedJoined D1-A
Illinois Big Ten Champaign, Illinois Martin Russell1963 [29] 2013
Michigan State Big Ten East Lansing, Michigan Jim RogersService Road Fields19642013
Ohio State Big Ten Columbus, Ohio Tom Rooney1966 [30] 2011
Wisconsin Big Ten Madison, Wisconsin Kurtis Shepard19622013

Red River Conference

Red River Conference
SchoolNCAA ConferenceCityCoachStadiumFoundedJoined D1-A
Baylor Big 12 Waco, TX Mason Hering2013
Texas Big 12 Austin, TX Brian Hannon19852013
Oklahoma Big 12 Norman, OK Kelly MeekTarzan Pitch1974 [31] 2013
North Texas Conference USA Denton, TX
Texas A&M SEC College Station, TX James LowreyPenberthy Sports Complex19682013
Texas Christian University Big 12 Fort Worth, Texas TCU IM Fields19962023
Texas Tech University Big 12 Lubbock, Texas Ibrahim Akdilek [32] TTU Club Rugby pitch2023

PAC

PAC Conference
SchoolNCAA ConferenceCityCoachStadiumFoundedJoined D1-A
Arizona Pac-12 Tucson, AZ Sean DuffyWilliam David Sitton Field19692011
California Pac-12 Berkeley, CA Jack Clark Witter Field1882 [33] 2011
UCLA Pac-12 Westwood, CA Harry Bennett Wallis Annenberg Stadium 1934 [34] 2011
Utah Pac-12 Salt Lake City, UT Adam Griffee Zions Bank Stadium 1972 [35] 2011

Independent

Independent Teams
SchoolNCAA ConferenceCityCoachStadiumFoundedJoined D1-A
Arkansas State Sun Belt Conference Jonesboro, Arkansas Dominic ShawCurt Huckaby Field2011
Central Washington GNAC Ellensburg, Washington Todd ThornleyTomlinson Stadium2011
Grand Canyon University WAC Phoenix, Arizona Sean O'LearyGCU Track/Practice Soccer Field

Rankings

Notes:

Seasons

2011 season

Notable events
Regular season

Records and final standings for 2011.

Playoffs and final
Quarterfinals (May 7–8)
@Higher Seed 		Semi-Finals (May 14)
Infinity Park, Glendale, CO
ESPN3 		Championship (May 21)
Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy, UT
ESPN3/ESPNU
         
W1Brigham Young64
E2 Navy 12
W1Brigham Young36
MS1 Arkansas State 15
MS1Arkansas State30
PC2 St. Mary's (CA) 17
W1 Brigham Young 14
PC1 California21
PC1California43
MS2 Life University 10
PC1California62
W2 Utah 14
E1 Army 26
W2Utah32
After the season

2012 season

Regular season

Records and final standings for 2012.

x-Conference champion
y-Qualified for playoffs

Playoffs and final
Quarterfinals (May 5)
@Higher Seed 		Semi-Finals (May 12)
Location determined by Quarterfinal results 		Championship (May 19)
Rio Tinto Stadium; Sandy, UT
ESPN3
         
W1Brigham Young103
PC2 UCLA 24
W1Brigham Young26
MS1 Life University 20
MS1Life University75
E2 Penn State 3
W1Brigham Young49
MS2 Arkansas State 42
E1 Army 20
MS2Arkansas State36
MS2Arkansas State31
PC1 Saint Mary's 17
PC1Saint Mary's24
W2 Utah 15
After the season

2013 season

x = conference champion and automatic quarterfinal berth
y = conference runner-up and eligible for playoffs
z = conference champion and eligible for playoffs

Playoffs and final
Quarterfinals (April 27)
@ Higher Seed 		Semi-Finals (May 4)
@ Higher Seed 		Final (May 18)
Greensboro, NC
ESPN3/ESPNU
         
Cal1 St. Mary's65
W2 Colorado 25
Cal1 St. Mary's58
Cal2 Cal Poly 24
W1 Colorado State 19
Cal2 Cal Poly40
Cal1 St. Mary's 14
M/S2 Life University16
M/S1 Arkansas State31
East2 Kutztown 10
M/S1 Arkansas State 13
M/S2 Life University18
East1 Army 29
M/S2 Life University55
After the season

2014 season

Regular season
Playoffs and final
Quarterfinals (April 26)
@ Higher Seed 		Semifinals (May 3)
@ Higher Seed 		Final (May 10)
Stanford, CA
USA Rugby TV
         
St. Mary's103
Santa Clara 10
St. Mary's72
Lindenwood 7
Lindenwood64
Davenport 32
St. Mary's21
Life University 6
Arkansas State43
Cal Poly SLO 12
Arkansas State 27
Life University34
Life University57
Colorado 3
After the season

2015 season

For the 2014–2015 school year, a number of conferences — particularly those in the colder northeast and upper midwest — played their regular seasons in the fall.

Playoffs and final
Quarterfinals (April 25) Semifinals (May 2) Final (May 9)
         
M1 Life64
E2 Penn State 3
M1 Life43
M3 Lindenwood 14
W1 Air Force 12
M3 Lindenwood59
M1 Life 24
C1 St. Mary's30
E1 Army 24
M2 Davenport50
M2 Davenport 32
C1 St. Mary's48
C1 St. Mary's72
Utah 26

2016 season

Playoffs
Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
         
1 St. Mary's (CA)77
Air Force 17
St. Mary's (CA)81
Utah 32
4 Utah36
Arizona 14
St. Mary's (CA) 20
Life Univ24
2 Life Univ44
Davenport 0
Life Univ.41
Lindenwood 7
3 Lindenwood36
Indiana 28

2017 season

Playoffs
Quarterfinals
April 22 		Semifinals
April 29 		Final
May 6
         
1 St. Mary's (CA)72
9 San Diego State 5
1 St. Mary's (CA)43
14 Arizona 7
14 Arizona48
16 Baylor 5
1 St. Mary's (CA)30
2 Life Univ 24
Lindenwood 20
2 Life Univ.37
2 Life Univ.36
3 BYU 26
3 BYU44
7 Indiana 17
After the season

The Varsity Cup folded in November 2017 when the organizer, broadcast partner and a major sponsor, Penn Mutual, withdrew their support. [48]

2018 season

Standings

Source:

Playoffs
Sweet 16
(April 14) 		Elite Eight
(April 21) 		Final Four
(April 28) 		National Championship Game
(May 5)
            
1 Saint Mary's 58
16 Cal Poly 22
1 Saint Mary's 22
9 Lindenwood 43
8 Texas A&M 12
9 Lindenwood 83
9 Lindenwood 22
3 California 43
6 Indiana 0
11 Navy 47
11 Navy 27
3 California 33
3 California 85
14 Grand Canyon 14
3 California 5
2 Life 60
2 Life 87
15 Central Washington 7
2 Life 44
10 Army 10
7 Colorado State 15
10 Army 52
2 Life 69
5 Penn State 14
5 Penn State 51
12 Arizona 34
5 Penn State 48
4 BYU 46
4 BYU 34
13 Arkansas State 23

2019 season

Playoffs
Sweet 16
(April 13) 		Elite Eight
(April 20) 		Final Four
(April 27) 		National Championship Game
(May 4)
            
1 California 141
8 UC Davis 3
1 California 61
4 Arizona 16
4 Arizona 28
5 Central Washington 19
1 California 28
WEST
2 Saint Mary's 24
3 BYU 50
6 UCLA 12
3 BYU 12
2 Saint Mary's 71
2 Saint Mary's 74
7 Grand Canyon 12
1 California 26
1 Life 29
1 Life 34
8 Penn State 3
1 Life 40
5 Navy 25
4 Oklahoma 0
5 Navy 71
1 Life 27
EAST
6 Lindenwood 19
3 Wisconsin 0
6 Lindenwood 97
6 Lindenwood 22
7 Arkansas State 18
2 Army 24
7 Arkansas State 31

Source:

2022 season

Standings
Playoffs
Round 1
(April 9) 		Elite Eight
(April 16) 		Final Four
(April 23) 		National Championship Game
(April 30)
1 California 43
4 Central Washington 624 Central Washington 26
5 Cal Poly 17 WEST1 California 26
2 Saint Mary's 35
2 Saint Mary's 24
3 BYU 593 BYU 22
6 Arizona 13 2 Saint Mary's 8
1 Army 20
1 Army 39
4 Life 264 Life 18
5 Navy 13 EAST1 Army 19
2 Lindenwood 14
2 Lindenwood 41
3 Texas A&M w/o 6 Arkansas State 10
6 Arkansas State w/o

Sources: [49] [50]

2023 season

Standings
Playoffs
Round 1
(April 8) 		Elite Eight
(April 15) 		Final Four
(April 22) 		National Championship Game
(May 6)
1 Central Washington 31
4 BYU 714 BYU 62
5 Arizona 33 WEST4 BYU 31
3 California 55
2 Saint Mary's 28
3 California 823 California 29
6 Cal Poly 15 3 California 22
1 Navy 28
1 Navy 30
4 Army 364 Army 6
5 Davenport 34 EAST1 Navy 12
2 Lindenwood 10
2 Lindenwood 29
3 Life 823 Life 8
6 Texas A&M 0

Sources: [55] [56] [57]

Rudy Scholz Award Winners

The Rudy Scholz award goes to the best male Division 1-A rugby player in the country. Below is a list of all prior recipients: [58]

See also

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The PAC Rugby Conference is a college rugby conference composed of four schools from the Pac-12 Conference that compete against each other in Division 1-A Rugby. It was formed in 2012 with six teams, with conference play beginning in February 2013 to compete in Division 1-AA. In 2016, PAC added USC and Stanford and dropped Oregon State, and moved up to D1-A. Despite only recently moving up from D1-AA affiliation, the PAC has historically been one of the strongest conferences in college rugby, with five of its members consistently ranked in the Top 25 overall. The PAC Rugby Conference began play on February 2, 2013, with Cal beating Arizona State at Witter Field in Berkeley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Varsity Cup Championship</span>

The Varsity Cup Championship was an American college rugby competition established in 2012 to serve as an invitational championship following the breakaway of several schools from Division 1-A Rugby.

Matt Sherman is a former American rugby union fly-half and current coach of the Army men's rugby team at the United States Military Academy. His ‘21/‘22 Army West Point squad won the D1A National Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Diego State Aztecs rugby union</span> Rugby team

San Diego State Aztecs Rugby Club is the rugby union club of San Diego State University in San Diego, California. It fields both men's and women's teams, the men compete in Division 1-A in the California conference and the women play in the Pacific Desert conference of Division II. The Aztec men's team won the US National Collegiate Rugby Championship in 1987.

The 2023 Division 1-A Rugby Championship is the eleventh season of the Division 1-A Rugby championship, the annual university rugby union competition run by USA Rugby for teams from the top twelve college teams in the United States. Navy won their first Championship with a 28–22 win over California, capping a perfect 18–0 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College rugby in the United States</span> Sport

College rugby is played by men and women throughout colleges and universities in the United States. Seven-a-side and fifteen-a-side variants of rugby union are most commonly played. Most collegiate rugby programs do not fall under the auspices of the NCAA and are instead governed by National Collegiate Rugby and USA Rugby, two nationwide governing bodies. 27 women's programs participate in the NCAA.

The 2024 Division 1-A Rugby Championship will be the twelfth season of the Division 1-A Rugby championship, the annual university rugby union competition run by USA Rugby for teams from the top twelve college teams in the United States. Navy entered as defending champions having won their first Championship with a 28–22 win over California, capping a perfect 18–0 2023 season.

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