23 August — The Men’s 2022 Fall 15s season will kick-off with over 400 men’s teams representing 32 conferences.  National Collegiate Rugby’s championship pathways include:

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• Division I
• Division I-AA (Club)
• Division II
• Small College

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The Fall 15s season continues to grow in popularity with approximately 85% of men’s teams now focusing on the Fall championship season.

Steve Hiatt, Men’s Director, commented: “Rugby teams are excited. You can feel the energy on campuses from coast to coast. We’re expecting a return to pre-COVID levels this year as teams work hard to grow their rosters and, in some cases, re-establish rugby clubs. Across all competitive levels, it’s going to be a great rugby XV's season.”

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NCR has welcomed several new conferences and teams across its four divisions. Notably, the Southeastern Rugby Conference and High Peaks Rugby Conference (formerly the Rocky Mountain Conference) have joined NCR and include several competitive programs vying for Division II and Small College championships. The new Big Rivers Rugby Conference brings together several new and existing DI teams.

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Indiana University, University of Michigan and Purdue University from the Big 10 join NCR’s Fall competition. In addition, the University of Tennessee and the University of Louisville come into the Division I-AA Club competition.

“Our Division I competitions will be extremely competitive this year. We have not only added depth, but have strengthened the competitive parity by more closely separating school-supported  programs from those who operate more as true club teams,” said Brad Dufek, Commissioner of DI and DII.

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Over 230 teams will compete for the Small College National Championship to win the Cohen Cup, named after Hall of Famer and NCR founder Steve Cohen. In addition, NCR will introduce the regional Challenge Bowl Series to provide opportunities for emerging small college programs to experience postseason play.

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Division I

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Schools:

• 37 clubs representing 12 conferences

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Notable Additions:

• The Big Rivers Rugby Conference brings together several new and existing DI teams including Adrian College, Aquinas College, Iowa Central Community College, Marian University, Thomas More University and Wheeling University.
• Team additions include Belmont Abbey College, Drury University, Indiana University, Lander University, University of Rio Grande, Trine University, University of Michigan, Purdue University, Southern Nazarene University and Utah Valley University.

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Full Club List

• Adrian College

• Mount St. Mary's University

• American International College

• Nazareth College

• Aquinas College

• Northeastern University

• Belmont Abbey College

• Notre Dame College

• Brown University

• Purdue University

• Colgate University

• Queens University

• Dartmouth College

• Southern Nazarene University

• Drury University

• Southern Virginia University

• Fairfield University

• St. Bonaventure University

• Fordham University

• SUNY - Buffalo

• Harvard University

• Syracuse University

• Indiana University

• Thomas More University

• Iona College

• Trine University

• Iowa Central Community College

• University of Mary Washington

• Kutztown University

• University of Notre Dame

• Lander University

• University of Rio Grande

• Marian University

• Utah Valley University

• Mckendree University

• Wheeling University

• University of Michigan

Division I-AA (Club)

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Schools:

• 32 clubs representing 12 conferences

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Notable Additions:

• Team additions include The Citadel Military College, University of Louisville, University of North Carolina and the University of Tennessee.

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Full Club List

• Boise State University

• Temple University

• Boston College

• The Citadel Military College

• Columbia University

• Tufts University

• James Madison University

• University of Connecticut

• Princeton University

• University of Delaware

• Rowan University

• University of Louisville

• Rutgers University

• University of Maryland

• Salisbury University

• University of Massachusetts - Amherst

• Siena College

• University of North Carolina

• St. Joseph's University

• University of Pennsylvania

• Stony Brook University

• University of Rhode Island

• SUNY - Albany

• University of Tennessee

• SUNY - Binghamton

• Virginia Tech

• SUNY - Brockport

• Washington State University

• SUNY - Cortland

• West Chester University

• SUNY - Oswego

• Yale University

Division II

Schools:

• 100 clubs representing 15 conferences

Notable Additions:

• High Peaks Collegiate Rugby Conference including Colorado Mesa University, Idaho State University, Montana State University, UC-Colorado Springs, University of Northern Colorado, Weber State University, and Western Colorado University.
• Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference including Auburn University, Georgia Tech, Mississippi State University, University of Mississippi, University of Memphis and Valdosta State.

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Small College

Schools:

• 230 clubs representing 26 conferences

Notable Additions:

• The High Peaks Collegiate Rugby Conference including Colorado College, Colorado School of Mines, University of Denver, New Mexico Highlands, New Mexico Tech, and Regis University.

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About National Collegiate Rugby

National Collegiate Rugby is the largest collegiate rugby organization with over 600 men's and women's teams. Evolving from the National Small College Rugby Organization, which was founded in 2007, NCR serves small colleges, Division II and Division I programs. NCR's sole focus is the growth and development of college rugby through a range of competitions and championship pathways, member services and governance.

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Media Contact:

Wade Smith

wade@ncr.rugby