Whether you find yourself on The Rugby Network pursuing the weekend’s games or you’ve been waiting all year for these finales, here’s what to expect at National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) Women’s 15s National Championships in Houston, Texas. [lead photo: Mike Conners @mikeconnersphoto23
Your first stop for any event information — weekend schedule, livestream, tickets, brackets, etc. — is the NCR championship hub. It’s a great resource.
All told, 12 women’s collegiate teams will be playing inside Aveva Stadium, home to the Houston SaberCats. Ten of those teams are competing toward national titles, and they qualified for this stage of playoffs after winning regional championships in the East, South, Midwest and West. For DI, which starts at the Round of 8 (DII and DIII start at the Round of 16), there were just two regional locations.
DIVISION I
SAT @ 6 p.m. CST: DI National Championship
Southern Nazarene University (Okla.) and Wheeling University (W.V.) are alike in that they are making their first appearances in the DI final, their teams are on the varsity spectrum, and they’re both young programs. They’re also similar in that they’ve pushed themselves in their fall schedules this year. The Crimson Storm, after two years of falling short at regionals, added the likes of DIA Lindenwood and BYU to the lineup. Those experiences were beneficial; read more from head coach Aric Gilliland.
Wheeling was also thoughtful about its competition and weighted the backend of its schedule. The Cardinals come to Houston as a new team with history. A core of Lander University transfers — players and staff — moved to West Virginia together and spent the fall molding an incoming class of 18 into one unit. Read more from head coach Ken Pape.
SUN @ 10 a.m. CST: DI Bowl Game
It’s an opportunity to see two teams that normally don’t intersect and add some intrigue to the overall championship lineup. The Univ. Texas at Austin is the local side, and Univ. Iowa from the Midwest conference is the challenger. Their game is inside the stadium and kicks off finals day.
DIVISION II
Like DIII, this competition has semifinals on Saturday and finals on Sunday.
SAT @ 2 p.m. CST: UW Eau Claire vs. Cincinnati
UW Eau Claire is the two-time reigning national champion, but in early November, it looked like a new champ would be named in 2024. The Blugolds lost their conference semifinal and finished 3rd in Great Waters, but an at-large berth to regionals came to the rescue. The Wisconsin team did not waste its second chance and is back in Texas for a third go, but with a bit of a different air. Read more from co-head coach Derek Wagner and Rachel Lange.
Eau Claire ended Cincinnati’s national semifinals hopes last year, winning a 12-10 decision in the quarterfinals. So the Bearcats are eager to see the Blugolds under these circumstances, but perhaps more excited to enjoy the rewards of two years of hard work since head coach Abby Gallion came on. UC played in a new, DI/DII hybrid conference this fall, and banked those important lessons against tougher teams; read more from Gallion.
SAT @ 4 p.m. CST: Vassar vs. Coast Guard
The Vassar vs. Coast Guard showdown predates NCR’s Division II competition. The two teams have met at regionals, semifinals or championships since 2015 (save 2020, the covid year). The Brewers have won seven of those eight matches and are undefeated this fall. Star scrumhalf Sophia Bailey talks about that legacy, but also the team’s deep desire to return to the championship and plays its best ball.
Coast Guard’s fall was different this year, joining a new conference that included one other DII team. That did open the window for competitive crossover friendlies against Roger Williams and Norwich, and those wins inspired new confidence this year. The theme for the season and Houston? Trust. Read more from head coach Sarah Price.
SUNDAY FINALS
12:15 p.m. CST 3rd Place @ stadium-adjacent pitch
2 p.m. CST Championship
DIVISION III
Just like DII, this competition is a semifinal/finals format.
SAT @ 10 a.m. CST UW Platteville vs. Colorado School of Mines
Platteville finished runner-up at DIII nationals last year but didn’t necessarily pick up right where it left off for fall 2024. The Pioneers needed the whole season to get back to nationals shape and were still banking lessons even as they won Midwest regionals. Head coach Richard Bergemann wholly credits the team — which leads its own practices once per week — and its insatiable to learn for returning to form: read more.
Colorado School of Mines makes its first appearance in the DIII semifinals, though the Golden, Colo., team does have experience at this stage of the playoffs as previous members of other organizations. The High Peaks team had some surprises along the way — like a tough away game and long road trip against New Mexico State — but they all prepared the players for regionals, and two shutout wins. Read more from head coach Dan Roder. This semifinal should be interesting.
SAT @ 12 p.m. CST: Endicott vs. East Stroudsburg
With Endicott and East STroudsburg, it’s the regular vs. rookie. Both statuses have their advantages. Endicott knows about nationals and that familiarity goes a long way. But as head coach Carly Baker explained (read more), that program history didn’t help last year’s team in Houston. The team stumbled in the mentality department in 2023 and that has been the focus in fall 2024 — emotional strength.
East Stroudsburg is the wild card in that it hasn’t played at this stage of 15s playoffs in double-digit years. It does have the unique distinction of playing in the very first DII national championship in 2000 (and then again in 2009), and now the lineage restarts with 2024. The Pennsylvania team comes to Houston with all the confidence, having won its national quarterfinal in double overtime with a Lindsay Foster penalty kick. Read more about ESU’s journey through head coach Tyler Cramsey.
SUNDAY FINALS
10:15 a.m CST 3rd Place
12 p.m. CST Championship