August 24 - National Collegiate Rugby names Brad Dufek as Men’s Director with responsibility across all four men’s divisions. Dufek will replace long-serving Steve Hiatt who moves to an expanded role on the NCR Board of Directors, serving as the Vice Chair.

Dufek joined NCR in 2020 and has served as the Commissioner for both the Division I and Division II competitions. During this time of rapid growth, Dufek has worked closely with conference commissioners to create robust divisional competitions and national championship pathways for these teams.

Dufek brings a deep understanding of collegiate rugby, both from his experience at NCR and as a former assistant rugby coach for the Quinnipiac women and Yale men’s teams. He is a former player at Wisconsin-Stout, as well as a Level 300 Coach and certified referee.

Commenting on his new role, Dufek said “I look forward to building on Hiatt’s significant contributions and am glad he will still be available as an advisor to the men’s competition. We have made strong progress over the past few years, and I am excited to take men’s rugby to a new level as we expand our member services and grow our fanbase.”

In this new role, Dufek will be supporting nearly 30 conferences and 350 clubs across the country. Dufek will be responsible for guiding the divisional Competition Committees, continuing to improve the depth and parity of men’s rugby and elevating men’s rugby at both the grassroots and varsity levels. Greg White continues in his role as the Small College Director.

"Brad's knowledge, leadership, experience and attention to detail are perfectly suited for the Men's Director role and I'm certain he will continue to serve the men's divisions very well as Hiatt moves forward," stated Jeremy Treece, NCR Chief Executive Officer.

For over 10 years, Hiatt has played an instrumental role in growing in college rugby. As the Men’s Director for the National Small College Rugby organization, Hiatt led significant growth in the small college division, introduced the small college all star tournament and helped transform NSCRO into NCR serving four men’s divisions.

In addition to his role at NCR, Hiatt is the men’s rugby coach at Cal Maritime University. Hiatt played his college rugby at UC Berkeley prior to being selected as a US Eagle and playing with the national team in both XVs and 7s.

Treece added "Steve has accomplished so much in his tenure as men's director and I'm certain he will have as big of an impact as Vice Chair. I look forward to working with him at the board level."

In Hiatt‘s new role as Vice Chair of External Affairs, he will focus on helping NCR strengthen its relationships with partner organizations including national organizations, professional rugby, senior teams and youth organizations. Hiatt will continue to play a key role in shaping the organization’s strategy and driving fundraising initiatives.

Steve Hiatt commented that “Brad is a fantastic choice as Men’s Director and will continue to help NCR and all its members grow. I look forward to contributing to college rugby in new ways. NCR and our member conferences are poised to make rugby a mainstream collegiate sport in this country.”

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