Southern Nazarene University and the University of Northern Iowa will play for the Women’s Division I national championship at 6 p.m. CST Saturday in Houston, TX. With UNI flyhalf Morgan Linck and SNU center Telesi Uhatafe on the marquee, the rematch of last year’s semifinal is a championship clash of two of the top players in all of college rugby.
SNU won its way to the final via regular season qualification and a semifinal victory over BYU, 34-28, while UNI arrived in Houston via a less conventional route. The Panthers replace the other semifinal winner, undefeated defending champion Wheeling, which withdrew from the championship game this week due to the firing of head coach Ken Pape and suspension of several players.
When Wheeling withdrew, NCR reached out to other DI programs, but none could arrange travel on such short notice. So UNI stepped in, assuring a national championship game. NCR has since imposed a two-year postseason ban for Wheeling and is investigating the matter further.
“Wheeling’s untimely departure created a profoundly difficult situation for everyone involved. Southern Nazarene worked incredibly hard to earn their championship spot, and we were committed to finding them a championship-caliber opponent,” said NCR women’s director Alycia Washington.
“We’re extremely grateful for the quick response and commitment from the University of Northern Iowa, which ensures our athletes will still have their Championship moment and a highly competitive matchup.”
The Panthers and Crimson Storm met in the combined DI playoffs last fall, with SNU winning 62-17 in Kansas City to advance to the program’s first-ever title game. The Panthers were a highly-ranked DI-AA side all season, before being upset in the quarterfinals by Colorado in a game where four UNI players were shown yellow cards.
This is UNI’s second DI national championship appearance in recent years, falling to Life University in the 2021 final.
All matches streamed live on tv.ncr.rugby for $8.99/match or $14.99 for a full weekend pass.
