Kahuku and United played an exhibition match in March (read more) / Photo courtesy United Girls Rugby Facebook
The High School Club National Invitational Tournament (NIT) takes place Friday-Saturday, May 17-18 in Murray, Utah. At present 12 teams have committed, per Pam Laura, the operations manager for the HS Club NIT Committee, but the field has not closed if more teams are interested. Learn more.
The eastern part of the country is absent from the field, and the same can be said for the single-school NIT that is being held in Glendale, Colo., the same weekend. But there are debuts, and introducing new teams to the top level of high school 15s is always a top goal for the NIT. Coastal Dragons, East, Independence, Lamorinda and Rancho Bernardo are all newcomers.
Also of note, single-school NIT champion Kahuku is competing in the HS Club NIT this year. The boys’ NIT is being held in Salt Lake City, so it made it more sense as a program for the teams to travel and compete together. The Raiders toured Utah in March and faced reigning champion United in an exhibition match. Read more.
The majority of the tournament will occur at Murray Park, but the championship final will be played at the Zions Bank Stadium (14787 Academy Parkway, Herriman, 84096), home to Major League Rugby’s Utah Warriors. The Warriors’ game against the San Diego Legion will follow at 7 p.m., and then during halftime, all of the NIT teams and coaches will be honored on the pitch. The championship team will be highlighted during a separate on-field recognition ceremony. All teams will be given an allotment of tickets and a special discount code for extra tickets.
Stay tuned for more information.
HS NIT TEAMS
Coastal Dragons – Southern California
East High – Utah
Fallbrook – Southern California
Kahuku High School – Hawaii
Independence – Missouri
Lamorinda – Northern California
Land Park – Northern California
Pleasanton – Northern California
Rancho Bernardo – Southern California
SacPD PAL Amazons – Northern California
South Bay – Southern California
United – Utah
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