The Heart of America (HOA) is a Division I-AA men's college rugby conference that expanded to 12 teams for the 2025-2026 season. It operates under the College Rugby Association of America (CRAA) and is made up of schools from the middle part of the USA—Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri.
The conference plays its 15s season in the fall but enters its champion in the CRAA D1AA postseason in the spring.
Seven teams from the former Heart of America D1AA Conference are moving to NCR.
Arkansas, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State are all moving out of what had been a USA Rugby-affiliated Heart of America into a new, seven-team conference.
Iowa State will take on Western Washington in the CRAA D1AA final after both teams won their semifinals Friday at Kuntz Stadium in Indianapolis, and for Iowa State, this was one of their most clinical performances in the last few years.
This week University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy (UHSP) announced that the institution will be merging with Washington University of St. Louis, and that decision will have ramifications for the rugby program.
Spartanburg, SC— The College Rugby Association of America (CRAA) has announced the complete fixture lineup for the 2025 CRAA Fall Classic, returning to Spartanburg, SC, on December 6–7, 2025.
The event will once again be hosted at the Louis P. Howell Athletic Complex at the University of South Carolina Upstate, in partnership with OneSpartanburg, Inc.
Saturday at the Westwick Rugby Complex in Lawrence, Kans. the Heart of America welcomed 11 of its 12 teams to play in an all-encompassing day of rugby.
De La Salle HS
Saint Mary's (Rudy Scholz Finalist)
USA U20s (Captain)
USA Men's National 15s Team (Debut vs Georgia 2023 at age 20)
As a 17-year-old Spencer Huntley required a waiver to play for the USA U20s, an indication of how he was rated in the USA age-grade pathway. He got that waiver and impressed for the USA U20s, and then moved up to the USA U23s. He led the San Diego Mustangs to a national HS Club championship in 2024.
He also played in the SoCal single-school league for Cathedral Catholic.
Hope Rogers began playing rugby at age 16 in high school and continued to compete during her time at Penn State University. There, she won four National Championships, was crowned MVP on two occasions, was named to the USA Under-20s and earned Collegiate All-American honors for four years. Rogers was also an impressive discus player during her senior year in high school where she broke a school record and won Gold at Districts for the sport.
Mike played for Life College, Philly-Whitemarsh and played for the USA National 7s and 15s teams in the 1980s and 1990s.
He was also part of the Atlantis touring side, playing 7s for the team in several around the world.
