NSCRO Release Following the commitment of ten D2 conferences, NSCRO is proud to announce a new Men’s Open Division that will introduce a new men’s D2 National Championship pathway starting in the Fall of 2020. Brad Dufek has been appointed as the Men’s Open Division Commissioner. Many of these conferences are already participating in NSCRO’s small college competition with just the Gateway and Great Midwest Conferences joining for the first time as well as the newly formed Allegheny Rugby Union’s DII league. With 75 men’s D2 teams from across the country, the DII conferences joining NSCRO at this time are:…

NSCRO Release The Mid-Atlantic Rugby Conference (MARC) is pleased to announce their commitment to the NSCRO Open Division D2 Competition beginning Fall 2020.  The MARC Conference was created in 2012 to operate as a regional collegiate competitive organization for D1AA, D2 and Small College (NSCRO). MARC administers over 50 College and University rugby programs, and 2,000 student athletes, in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. The MARC mission is to administer and promote competitive rugby, player and coach development, player safety, and community service. When asked about the MARC commitment to NSCRO, Commissioner John Gulden commented “We are excited about the…

NSCRO Release The Deep South Collegiate Rugby Conference is pleased to announce their commitment to joining NSCRO for Fall 2020 as a hybrid of the Small School Division and Open Division competition. The Deep South Conference has been a hybrid conference with NSCRO for the past few years, which has benefited both our teams in the D2 and Small College divisions. Our clubs have performed well in their split postseasons, and we are looking forward to continuing that in the 2020 competition fully in the NSCRO organization. Conference Commissioner Matt Austin added that “Our teams look forward to the NSCRO focus on developing rugby…

Photo: University of Minnesota Morris (Dev)

NSCRO Release The Allegheny Rugby Union is pleased to announce its commitment to the NSCRO Open Division (D2) Competition beginning in Fall 2020.  The ARU Men’s Conference was created in April 2020 from teams moving from other conferences wanting to participate in this completion. We are also excited to align with our existing women’s conference that has had a great experience with NSCRO. When asked about Allegheny’s commitment to NSCRO, Commissioner Seth Erwin commented “Discussions for this new division started back in late fall. Trying to find the right fit for our teams, NSCRO was a clear choice.  They have…

NSCRO Release The Midwest College Rugby Conference is pleased to announce their commitment to joining NSCRO’s new Open Division competition beginning in Fall 2020.  The MCRC was created in 2017 to foster competition among regionally competitive programs and extend participating programs into national playoffs. Being a hybrid conference has benefited both our teams in the D2 and Small College divisions to date. Participating teams have performed well in their prospective division postseasons, and we are looking forward to strengthening that in the 2020 competition fully under the NSCRO umbrella. When asked about the MCRC commitment to NSCRO, Commissioner Barry Burkett…

NSCRO Rugby Release The Southern Rugby Conference is pleased to announce its commitment to the NSCRO Open Division D2 Competition beginning in Fall 2020.  The SRC was created and Founded in January 2011 in accordance with USA Rugby’s College restructuring initiative.  Member teams have captured state, regional, and national championships. Two teams – Furman and Coastal Carolina – have collected a combined four small college national championships. At the AGM the vote was overwhelming in favor of the conference making the move. “We look forward to our D2 teams joining our current NSCRO teams in competing in what has proven…

NSCRO Release The Gateway Rugby Conference is pleased to announce their commitment to the NSCRO Open Division D2 Competition beginning Fall 2020. The Gateway Rugby Conference was created in 2012 as USA Rugby reorganized various aspects of community rugby. The initial teams joining the Gateway Conference came from the Missouri Rugby Football Union, the Heart of America Union, and the WI-IL Union. Most teams in the conference operate independent of any current geographic union. The conference has expanded from an initial seven D2 teams to it’s current ten squads over the past several years. This expansion has seen not only…

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NSCRO Release The Cardinals Collegiate Rugby Conference (CCRC) is pleased to announce their commitment to the NSCRO Open Division D2 Competition beginning in Fall 2020.  The Cardinals Collegiate Rugby Conference was created in 2013 when the Virginia Rugby Union dissolved.  The conference quickly grew to 23 teams and expanded its footprint to North Carolina (NC State; Queens and Duke) and Maryland (UMBC and Naval Academy developmental sides) as it adopted an “inclusive” philosophy and Hybrid scheduling system.  The Hybrid fall schedule included competition amongst D2 and Small College teams with the aim of limiting travel requirements while increasing more competitive…

Photo: Great Midwest Rugby Conference