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National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) released its brackets for the women’s 15s regional playoffs occurring this Friday-Sunday, Nov. 13-15, and National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) solidified its Division I semifinals with the final whistle of the AIC vs. Queens match in Annapolis. [lead photo: Jackie Finlan / TRB]
NIRA SFs
TRB posted an NCAA varsity update last week (link) and awaited the result of AIC vs. Queens to confirm DI match-ups. The Yellow Jackets traveled to Annapolis, Md., last Saturday to meet the Royals on neutral ground, and returned to Springfield, Mass., with a 57-14 win. That victory solidified fourth place in the standings for AIC and a berth to the semifinals this Saturday:
#4 AIC @ #1 Harvard (1 p.m. ET)
#3 Army West Point @ #2 Dartmouth (1 p.m. ET)
And Division II/III semifinals were announced last week:
#4 West Chester (Pa.) @ #1 Davenport (Mich).
#3 Bowdoin (Maine) @ #2 Frostburg State (Md.) (Sun @ 2 p.m. ET)
NCR REGIONALS
TRB published updates on the NCR DI, DI-AA, DII and DIII landscapes last week — notes are linked. The following adds in teams’ titles and any new info since the previous posts. Teams from 20 states are participating in the 15s playoffs: Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin. Which state has the most representatives in the postseason? New York, by far.
DIVISION III R16
Teams play their Round of 16 matches this Friday, Nov. 13. Consolation games are Saturday, and the national quarterfinals are Sunday, Nov. 15. Teams that go 2-0 advance to the national championship weekend on Friday-Sunday, Dec. 4-6 in Houston, Texas.
@ INDIANAPOLIS, IN
Siena (N.Y., Tri-State conference champ, defeated RPI 29-14 in Saturday’s title match) vs. Northern Michigan (Great Waters #2 seed, lost title to UW Platteville 51-10)
UW Platteville (Wisc., Great Waters champion, beat Northern Michigan 51-10 in title match) vs. SUNY Potsdam (Upstate New York conference runner-up, lost to Niagara 57-40 in title match)
@ SPRINGFIELD, MO
Colorado School of Mines (High Peaks conference champion & reigning national champion) vs. College of St. Benedict (Minn., at-large berth, Northern Lights runner-up, lost title match 38-17 to Univ. North Dakota)
North Dakota (Northern Lights conference champion, beat CSB 38-17 in title bout) vs. Wayne State College (Neb., at-large out of Prairie State conference)
@ CANTON, MA
Endicott (Mass., North Atlantic champion, beat Smith 35-7 in Saturday’s conference title match) vs. Colby College (Maine, Rugby Northeast champion)
Niagara (Upstate New York champion, beat SUNY Potsdam 57-40 in title match) vs. Smith (Mass., North Atlantic #2, lost to Endicott 35-7 in conference final)
@ ROCK HILL, SC
East Stroudsburg (Eastern Pennsylvania champion, beat Lafayette 64-19 in conference final) vs. Plymouth State (N.H., at-large out of North Atlantic conference, which has three reps in the Round of 16. During regular season, lost to Smith 15-0 and Endicott 96-5)
RPI (N.Y., Tri-State runner-up, lost title match 29-14 to Siena last Saturday) vs. Eckerd (Fla., only DIII team in South Atlantic conference playing consistent 15s)
DIVISION II R16
Teams play their Round of 16 matches this Friday, Nov. 13. Consolation games are Saturday, and the national quarterfinals are Sunday, Nov. 15. Teams that go 2-0 advance to the national championship weekend on Friday-Sunday, Dec. 4-6 in Houston, Texas.
@ INDIANAPOLIS, IN
Vassar (N.Y., Tri-State champion named on standings; went 9-0 overall) vs. Cincinnati (Ohio, Allegheny conference champion that won an at-large berth)
Bowling Green (Ohio, won Great Lakes conference on standings, undefeated) vs. Winona State (Minn., won Northern Lights conference after a 97-0 title win against North Dakota State; at-large berth)
@ SPRINGFIELD, MO
UW Eau Claire (Wis., Great Waters champion after 113-0 win against Northwestern in final) vs. North Texas (Lonestar champion, named on standings)
Colorado Mesa (High Peaks champion named on standings) vs. Fairfield (Conn., Tri-State runner-up named on standings; played Vassar to 36-15 and 29-5 losses in regular season)
@ CANTON, MA
Coast Guard (Conn., North Atlantic champion after 64-14 win against Vermont last Saturday; reigning national champion) vs. Norwich (Vt., Rugby Northeast champ named on standings; clinched with 55-19 win vs. Roger Williams)
Syracuse (Upstate New York champion, a title won after a 31-15 win against SUNY Binghamton) vs. William & Mary (Va., Mid-Atlantic champion after 21-17 trophy win against Towson)
@ ROCK HILL, SC
Coastal Carolina (S.C., South Atlantic conference champion after winning title 55-19 vs. Kennesaw State) vs. SUNY Binghamton (Upstate New York conference runner-up after 31-15 title bout loss to Syracuse; at-large)
Towson (Md., Mid-Atlantic conference runner-up after a 21-17 title bout against William & Mary; at-large) vs. Marist (N.Y., Tri-State #3 team on standings, at-large)
DIVISION I-AA QFs
This division begins with national quarterfinals on Friday, Nov. 13. Consolation matches are Saturday and then national semifinals are Sunday, Nov. 15. Finalists advance to the NCR championship weekend in Houston, Texas, and will the title match is Saturday, Dec. 5 at 5 p.m. CT.
@ SPRINGFIELD, MO
Quinnipiac (Conn., the only DI-AA team in the North Atlantic conference; at-large bid) vs. Texas A&M (Lonestar champion named on standings)
Notre Dame (Ind., Big 10 conference champion named on standings) vs. Colorado (High Peaks conference champion after a 76-0 title win against Utah State)
@ INDIANAPOLIS, IN
Northeastern (Mass., Rugby Northeast champion named on standings) vs. North Carolina State (South Atlantic conference runner-up after a 22-10 title bout against Virginia; at-large bid)
Virginia (South Atlantic champion after a 22-10 title win against NC State)vs. Northern Iowa (Midwest champion named on standings)
DIVISION I
It’s a one-game weekend (Saturday, Nov. 14) for the DI teams, and the victors will advance to the national final on Saturday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. CT in Houston. These matchups have been known for weeks; read more.
#2 Penn State (Pa.) vs. #3 Walsh University (Ohio) @ Indianapolis, Ind.
#1 Southern Nazarene (Neb.) vs. #4 Lander University (S.C.) @ Springfield, Mo.