BOULDER, Colo. – The USA Rugby Men’s Division II College National Championship is fast approaching as teams have begun to qualify for the Nov. 22-23 Regional Playoffs.

The weekend of Nov. 8-9 will be crucial for many teams, as several conferences will be hosting their Conference Championships to determine which schools will move on to the Regional Round of 16. Furthermore, Nov. 15 will be the date when the final five Regional Playoff spots are established via cross-conference play-in matches.

The well-earned promotion to DII for Colonial Coast and New England Wide Conferences, as well as the continued overall improvement in the Men’s DII ranks, has created additional excitement surrounding the lone USA Rugby College National Championship played in the fall.

“The addition of the Colonial Coast Collegiate Conference and the New England Wide Collegiate Rugby Conference has improved and broadened the depth and quality of the USA Rugby Men’s Division II College National Championship,” said USA Rugby Collegiate Director Rich Cortez. “The traditionally strong conferences, such as the Northern Lights, Cardinals, Potomac, and the WIIL have also continued their pathways to excellence. The result is that we have more conferences playing better rugby with better organizations and coaching than ever before in Division II. We expect this year’s Championship to be the best one yet.”

USA Rugby is pleased to have the support of four schools for their hard work and preparation in hosting Regional Playoffs. James Madison University, Salisbury University, University of Rhode Island, and Washington University will present quality rugby pitches and atmospheres worthy of Regional Playoffs Round of 16.

Four teams have already clinched spots in these playoffs. In the New England Conference, Vermont won their two-game series with Rhode Island and then URI lost to Coast Guard to make absolutely sure UVM is top. UVM is 8-0. James Madison finished 6-0 in Cardinals Conference play and have clinched the conference title. Furman defeated UNC-Wilmington Sunday to win the Southern. St. Louis has clinched the Gateway with one week to go.

USA Rugby Men’s Division II College National Championship – Nov. 22-23 Regionals:

Northeast Regional
Kingston, RI (University of Rhode Island)
WIIL vs. Rugby Northeast
(WIIL final four is this coming weekend. UW-Whitewater, UW-Stout, Illinois State, and UW-Lacrosse are left, with Whitewater the favorites)
(Rugby Northeast has Bentley and UMass-Lowell set for the championship game)

University of Vermont (New England Conference Champion) vs. Upstate NY
(SUNY Cortland, SUNY Oswego, Buffalo State, and Niagara are set for the Upstate NY playoffs)

Mid-Atlantic Regional
Harrisonburg, VA (James Madison University)
James Madison (Cardinals Champion) vs. Tri-State or Mid-Atlantic #2
(In Tri-State Vassar and Fairfield play for the championship. In MARC, Notre Dame College, Rowan, IUP, and York will play in the playoffs this coming weekend)

Potomac #2 or Cardinals #2 vs. Great Lakes
(The Potomac #2 will be Salisbury or Towson, and VMI is the Cardinals #2)
(In Great Lakes, Grand Valley State will face Xavier in the championship match this weekend)

South Regional
Salisbury, MD (Salisbury University)
Potomac vs. New England Wide or Colonial Coast
(In the Potomac, Towson and Salisbury face off this weekend)
(In Colonial Coast, Roger Williams faces Plymouth State in the championship game this weekend)

MARC vs. Furman (Southern Conference Champion)
(In MARC, Notre Dame College, Rowan, IUP, and York will play in the playoffs this coming weekend)

Mid-West Regional
St. Louis, MO (Washington University)
Northern Lights vs. Deep South or Colorado College
(In Northern Lights, Minnesota-Duluth leads)
(In Deep South Louisiana-Lafayette takes on Louisiana Tech in the championship game this coming weekend)

St. Louis (Gateway Champion) vs. WILL or Northern Lights #2

Following Regionals, the four advancing teams will have two weeks to regroup and prepare themselves for the DII National Semifinals Nov. 6 at Furman University in Greenville, S.C. One day later, the two best Men’s DII teams will play for a USA Rugby National Championship.