BOULDER, Colo. – Forty-eight of the nation’s best Division I and Division II men’s and women’s collegiate rugby teams will compete in the USA Rugby National Guard College Club Playoffs, April 18-20, at the Balloon Fiesta Park in Albuquerque.  

This event, presented in part by the New Mexico Sports Authority, Visit Albuquerque and the Rio Grande Rugby Union, marks the first time USA Rugby has brought all 48 collegiate teams to one location for a National Championship Series (NCS) event. It also marks the first time USA Rugby has chosen Albuquerque to host an NCS event.

Albuquerque’s Balloon Fiesta Park will feature eight fully functional pitches surrounded by USA Rugby’s Live Festival event. The event will include sponsor booths with rugby gear, interactive games and USA Rugby giveaways; while college teams from across the U.S. vie for the opportunity to advance through the first two rounds of their respective championship brackets in hopes of playing in the USA Rugby National Guard College Club Championships, on May 2-3, at Stanford University. 

The College Club Playoffs will have a significant economic impact on Albuquerque with 1,500 participants expected to generate more than $372,000 in direct visitor spending, according to the Visit Albuquerque.

The matches will take place during daylight hours from 1:30 p.m. on Friday, April 18 through 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 20 and all seven of USA Rugby’s competitive territories will see representation at this highly anticipated collegiate rugby tournament. Spectator tickets for the event are $10 per day or $25 for the weekend. Youth and military receive a significant discount and tickets can only be purchased at the gate.

The DI men's and women’s college tournament follows a standard 16-team format with four pools of four teams each, while the DII men’s and women’s tournament goes by an eight-team format with two pools of four teams each. Each year the USA Rugby Competitions Committee reviews the results of the previous year’s championship event and seeds and allocates the field for the following year.

Although collegiate rugby teams from the Northeast and Midwest have already determined who will compete in this tournament, the majority of teams across the U.S. will not complete their regional qualifiers until the first week of April. USA Rugby will announce the entire list of teams when they are set.

USA Rugby is also planning an inaugural Come Out & Play media event starting at 11 a.m. on Friday, April 18th at Balloon Fiesta Park, as a hands-on demonstration and learning experience for the Albuquerque media before the matches kick off later that day. Media wishing to attend should contact Sara John at sjohn@usarugby.org, or 303-539-0300 ext. 101; or download the credential application at www.usarugby.org/goto/media_center.

For more information on the USA Rugby National Guard Division I and II Men’s and Women’s College Club Playoffs, please visit www.usarugby.org/goto/usar_championships.  

 

MATCH SCHEDULE


Friday, April 18

Division I Men
1:30 pm: NRU #2 (Dartmouth) v Pac Coast #2
1:30 pm: So Cal #1 v South #1
2:00 pm: Pac Coast #3 v West #2
2:00 pm: Midwest #1 (BGSU) v MARFU #2
2:30 pm: Pac Coast #1 v South #2
2:30 pm: NRU#1 (Army) v So Cal #2
3:00 pm: MARFU #1 v Midwest #2 (University of Minnesota)
3:00 pm: West #1 v Pac Coast #4

Division I Women

4:00 pm: Midwest #2 (University of Northern Iowa) v Pac Coast #1

4:00 pm: MARFU #3 v West #2

4:30 pm: NRU #1 (Brown) v MARFU #4

4:30 pm: So Cal #1 v Pac Coast #2

 

Saturday, April 19

Division I Women

9:00 am: MARFU #1 v South #1

9:00 am: Pac Coast #3 v Midwest #1 (Indiana University)

9:00 am: West #1 v Pac Coast #4

9:00 am: NRU #2 (Vassar) v MARFU #2
 

4:00 pm: Pool B Championship qualifier match

4:00 pm: Pool B Consolation match

4:30 pm: Pool D Championship qualifier match

4:30 pm: Pool D Consolation match

 

Division II Men

10:30 am: NRU#1 (Coast Guard) v So Cal #1

10:30 am: Midwest #1 (University of Michigan) v MARFU #1

10:30 am: NRU #2 (Middleburry) v West #1

10:30 am: Pac Coast #1 v South #1

 

Division II Women:

11:30 am: NRU #1 (Norwich) v MARFU #1

11:30 am: West #1 v Pac Coast #1

11:30 am: South #1 v So Cal #1

11:30 am: Midwest #1 (University of Minnesota-Duluth) v Pac Coast #2

 

Division I Men:

1:30 pm: Pool B Championship qualifier match

1:30 pm: Pool B Consolation match

2:00 pm: Pool D Championship qualifier match

2:00 pm: Pool D Consolation match

3:00 pm: Pool A Championship qualifier match

3:00 pm: Pool A Consolation match

3:30 pm: Pool C Championship qualifier match

3:30 pm: Pool C Consolation match


Sunday, April 20

 

Division I Women

8:30 am: Pool A Championship qualifier match

8:30 am: Pool A Consolation match

8:30 am: Pool C Championship qualifier match

8:30 am: Pool C Consolation match

 

Division II Women:

10:00 am: Pool A Championship qualifier match

10:00 am: Pool A Consolation match

10:00 am: Pool B Championship qualifier match

10:00 am: Pool B Consolation match

Division II Men:

11:00 am: Pool A Championship qualifier match

11:00 am: Pool A Consolation match

11:00 am: Pool B Championship qualifier match

11:00 am: Pool B Consolation match