National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) held its Division I and Small College regional championships last weekend, and now four teams from both competitions will report to Knoxville, Tenn., on Dec. 4-5 to national champions.
RELATED: Collegiate Playoff Brackets
In Division I, Life University’s NCR team posted two shutouts in Danville, Va. Saturday started with a 57-0 win against Syracuse and then a 55-0 quarterfinal victory against Clemson. Former NIRA program Notre Dame College also had a good, albeit incredibly muddy, weekend in Syracuse. The Falcons started with a 39-7 win against Roger Williams and then banked its spot in Knoxville with a 57-10 win against Colgate.
In the western portion of the bracket, Midwest champion Northern Iowa went 2-0 in front of a hometown crowd in Iowa Falls. The Panthers eliminated North Dakota 120-5 in the Round of 16, then beat UW Eau Claire 66-7 in the quarterfinals. In Elkhart, Ind., Marquette battled Iowa State to a 29-26 Round of 16 win, then knocked out Grand Valley State with a 41-12 quarterfinal win.
See the full playoff bracket and results here. Stay tuned for semifinalist features.
The DI and Small College championships occurred at the same four locations, but only Syracuse, N.Y., featured four teams. SUNY Cortland emerged as the 2-0 team, defeating Rochester 28-10 on Saturday and then Endicott 34-10 on Sunday. The Peace Frogs now ready for the trip to Knoxville.
VMI and Salve Regina pulled out of regionals, leaving Lee University and Loyola of Maryland to duke out the Sunday quarterfinal. The Flames banked a 37-17 win and will now enjoy the home stand in early December.
The western portion of the bracket featured three teams vying for semifinal berths. Northern Michigan beat MSU Moorhead 74-19 to advance, and Wayne State College received a direct berth to Knoxville. Fortunately, the Wildcats were able to add a friendly against DI University of Iowa on Sunday, just to get some field time.
See the full bracket and scores here.
SATURDAY, DEC. 4
@ Knoxville, TN (EST)
SMALL COLLEGE SEMIFINALS
9 a.m. SUNY Cortland vs. Lee Univ.
11 a.m. Wayne State College v Northern Michigan Univ.
DIV I SEMIFINALS
1 p.m. Univ. Northern Iowa v Notre Dame College
3 p.m. Marquette Univ. v Life Univ.