March 31, 2016
NSCRO Men’s 15s Playoffs
National Small College Rugby Organization (NSCRO) Press Release: March 31, 2016
Four Regional Championships and two Cup Qualifying events will be held this weekend as teams continue their quest towards one of the two NSCRO National Championships later this month.
Medford, NJ March 31, 2016 – In 2002, there were about 80 “East Coast” small college men’s teams competing for the NSCRO National title. Now, in 2016 there were more than 200 small college men’s teams with their sights aimed on the two upcoming national championships held by the National Small College Rugby Organization (NSCRO) – the Champions Cup and the Challenge Cup. And, things are heating up as four regional championship matches and two Cup qualifier events will be held this weekend to determine which teams will make the final trek to each of the National Championships. Playoff brackets for Champions Cup and the Challenge Cup are available on our website or downloaded here (Champions Cup) and here (Challenge Cup).
Road to the NSCRO Champions Cup
The Mid-Atlantic South Region Championship will be held this weekend at the Rugby Athletic Center in Charlotte, NC to determine who will represent Region 2 at the Champions Cup. Also being held this weekend are the Pacific Coast Cup, hosted by Claremont-McKenna College in Claremont, CA, and the Cowboy Cup, which will be hosted by Sports Properties United at the Albuquerque Fiesta Park, NM. The winners of the Pacific Coast Cup and the Cowboy Cup will compete in the PacWest Region Championship on 16 – 17 April at California Maritime Academy in Vallejo, CA to see who will represent Region 2 at the Champions Cup in Glendale, CO on 30 April – 1 May 2016.
Mount St. Mary’s University (The Mount), last year’s Champions Cup runner-up and currently ranked #1 in the NSCRO Fall national rankings, will face University of North Florida (UNF) at the Mid-Atlantic Region Championship semi-final match. The UNF Deadbirds are flying high after a strong performance at the South Cup two weeks ago but The Mount have dedicated themselves to taking this year’s title since last year’s champion, New England College, moved up to join the East Coast Division IAA Conference (and finished in 3rd place).
In the other semi-final match at the Mid-Atlantic Region Championship, Bucknell University will make their first appearance in the NSCRO playoffs and will face off against Duke University.
The Mid-Atlantic Region Championship schedule is below:
Saturday, 2 April
12:00 PM EDT – Mount St. Mary’s University vs. University of North Florida
2:00 PM EDT – Bucknell University vs. Duke University
Sunday, 3 April
10:00 AM EDT – Third/Fourth Place Match
12:00 PM EDT – Mid-Atlantic South Region Championship Match
1:45 PM EDT (approx.) – Awards Ceremony
The Mid-Atlantic South Region Championship will be live-streamed. Visit our website, www.nscro.org, for details.
The Cowboy Cup finds the University of Denver taking on St. Edward’s University in one semifinal, while the Rams from Angelo State University will have a run against the Vatos from New Mexico Highlands University. The Rams and Vatos are among the highest scoring teams in all of NSCRO so this should be quite the match up.
The Cowboy Cup schedule is as follows:
Saturday, 2 April
1:00 PM MDT – University of Denver vs. St. Edward’s University
3:00 PM MDT – Angelo State University vs. New Mexico Highlands University
Sunday, 3 April
11:00 AM MDT – Third/Fourth Place Match
1:00 PM MDT – Cowboy Cup Championship Match
2:45 PM MDT (approx.) – Awards Ceremony
The Pacific Coast Cup sees California Maritime Academy taking on Azusa Pacific University, while The Claremont Colleges will face off against Santa Rosa Junior College. The winners of each match will advance to the PacWest Region Championship.
The Pacific Coast Cup schedule is as follows:
Saturday, 2 April
10:30 AM PDT – The Claremont Colleges vs. Santa Rosa Junior College
12:30 PM PDT – California Maritime Academy vs. Azusa Pacific University
Winners of the Mid-Atlantic South Region and the PacWest Region (determined on 16-17 April) will join Eastern Connecticut State University (Northeast Region/Region 1 Champions) and the University of Southern Indiana (Central Region/Region 3 Champions) at the Champions Cup.
For a full recap of the Champions Cup playoffs to date, go to www.nscro.org/mens-champions-cup on our website.
The NSCRO Champions Cup will be held on 30 April – 1 May 2016 at Infinity Park * Rugbytown USA * in Glendale, CO. All matches at the Champions Cup will be live streamed. Details will be available on our website as the event approaches.
Road to the NSCRO Challenge Cup
2014-15 saw the inaugural season for the NSCRO Challenge Cup national playoffs with about 90 teams competing for the title. Last April, the first ever NSCRO Challenge Cup title went to California’s University of the Pacific, the biggest accomplishment ever for a school that began playing rugby in 1908.
Due to its success, more than 130 teams are now participating in the Challenge Cup playoff pathway – raising the competitive bar higher. In the Fall, Salem State University, representing East Coast/Region 1, earned the first spot in the Challenge Cup Championships which will be held on 23 – 24 April 2016 at Founders Field in Cheswick, PA.
The three remaining Region Championship matches will be held this weekend to determine who will fill the last three spots at the Challenge Cup. The schedules and locations of these matches are as follows:
Region 2 (Central) Championship – 2 April 2016
Hosted by Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, OH
2:00 PM EDT – University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown vs. Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
3:30 PM EDT Award Ceremony
Region 3 (West) Championship – 3 April 2016
Hosted by Sports Properties United at the Albuquerque Fiesta Park, NM
11:00 AM MDT – Tarleton State University vs. University of Northern Colorado
2:45 PM MDT (approx.) – Award ceremony
Region 4 (Pacific Coast) Championship – 2 & 3 April 2016
Hosted by the University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA
11:00 AM PDT (2 April) – University of Puget Sound vs. University of San Francisco
1:30 PM PDT (2 April) – University of Puget Sound vs. Point Loma Nazarene University
4:00 PM PDT (2 April) – Point Loma Nazarene University vs. University of San Francisco
12:00 PM PDT (3 April) – Region 4 Championship Match with award ceremony immediately after
Here is a full recap of the Challenge Cup playoffs to date is available on our website: www.nscro.org/mens-challenge-cup
The NSCRO Challenge Cup National Championship will be held on 23 – 24 April 2016 at Founders Field in Cheswick, PA. All matches of the Challenge Cup will be live-streamed. Details will be available on our website as the event approaches.
Please direct all NSCRO questions to president@nscro.org.
About National Small College Rugby Organization
Since 2002, the National Small College Rugby Organization (NSCRO) has been at the forefront of fostering and developing small college rugby programs in the United States. NSCRO is comprised of more than 240 men’s and 105 women’s colleges and universities who participate in more than 30 leagues for an opportunity compete on a national level and showcase their abilities to a broader and larger audience.
By focusing on small colleges and universities, we help bring these schools, their teams and players exposure outside of their conference/union while also giving them a chance at a national title and ranking. NSCRO provides a responsive national organization dedicated to small colleges and universities which has helped legitimize rugby in the eyes of school administrators. The increased visibility and recognition from NSCRO has led to better school support, greater on-campus interest in rugby and more alumni involvement.
Our goals are simple:
Foster the growth and development of men and women’s small college rugby in the United States.
Provide top-level competition and promote high-level sportsmanship on and off the field.
Be a resource for small college rugby players, coaches, trainers and staff; and, offer a sense of community for NSCRO members.
NSCRO is “The Home of Small College Rugby in America”.
For more information, visit www.nscro.org and follow us @nscrorugby on Twitter and on facebook.com/nscrorugby.
