DI CRAA Regionals Heads to Tempe

[Updated 3/19/25] Details for the Collegiate Rugby Association of America (CRAA) Division I 15s regional playoffs have emerged. The Pacific Mountain Rugby Conference, Pacific Desert Rugby Conference and at-large Air Force Academy will head to the Arizona State University campus in Tempe, Ariz., for the quarterfinals (April 4) and semifinals (April 6). The championship is April 19 at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif. [lead photo: Jeff Dalton Photography @jeffd2u]

RELATED: DI March 11 Update

The Pacific Mountain (NorCal/Pacific Northwest) will fill four of the quarterfinal spots, and the conference will determine their seeds this Saturday at Stanford. The host and Western Washington Univ. will face each other for #1/#2, and Cal and Univ. Oregon will play for #3/#4.

3.19 Update: Oregon indicated that it won’t be able to afford the travel to Tempe for regionals, as the location details were not circulated until March 14.

The Pacific Desert (SoCal/Arizona) gets three berths to the quarterfinals, and final standings will determine those teams. At present, the three Arizona teams — Grand Canyon, Arizona State, Univ. Arizona — lead the league, but there are still two more weeks of key games that could reorganize the standings. Claremont Colleges has a reasonable hope to advance, but it needs to beat the Wildcats in its final regular-season match and also needs ASU to beat the Tucson team.

The U.S. Air Force Academy takes an at-large berth to the quarterfinals as well. Traditionally, the Colorado Springs program has played a fall 15s schedule, but CRAA no longer fields a fall 15s championship for the women. CRAA did, however, add a women’s bowl game to the Fall Classic, and Air Force played Penn State in that match. Its former conference (the now-named High Peaks) aligned with National Collegiate Rugby, but the academy team remained aligned with CRAA — thus, its participation in spring 15s.

FRIDAY, APRIL 4 QUARTERFINALS

A. Pacific Mountain #1 (Stanford/WWU) vs. Pacific Desert #3

B. Air Force vs. Pacific Mountain #3 (Cal/Oregon)*

C. Pacific Desert #1 vs. Pacific Mountain #4 (Cal/Oregon)*

D. Pacific Mountain #2 (Stanford/WWU) vs. Pacific Desert #2

*Oregon will not be participating due to the late release (March 14) of logistics info.

SUNDAY, APRIL 6 SEMINALS
Winner A vs. Winner B
Winner C vs. Winner D

The two teams that go 2-0 across the three-day period with advance to the DI 15s championship on Saturday, April 19 in Palo Alto, Calif.