Men’s Division 1AA (D1AA) represents a highly competitive tier of collegiate rugby in the United States, featuring programs governed by both National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) and the College Rugby Association of America (CRAA). It serves as a bridge between elite Division I play and developing Division II or Small College levels, offering strong regional competition and a pathway to national championships under each organization’s structure. While NCR and CRAA operate independently, both use the D1AA designation for schools with established programs that may not have the depth or resources of top-tier D1A teams.
Beast of the East in 33rd Year
The Beat of the East, in its 33rd year, has three brackets of men’s college teams with DI, DII, and DIII teams totaling more than 40.
Division I
Heading up the DI bracket is Boston College, ranked #38 among all DI college teams by Goff Rugby Report. UConn, Albany, UMass, Rhode Island, and Kings Point rounds out a highly-competitive bracket.
NDC on to DIAA Quarters
The Notre Dame College Falcons are through to the DIAA Quarterfinals after beating Bowling Green 52-21 in a midweek playoff game.
The game was played midweek to accommodate the fact that NDC played Wheeling Jesuit this past weekend, and Bowling Green has a 7s tournament coming on Saturday.
Delaware Return Complete with Playoffs
Delaware rugby captain Chris Mattina looks at the DIAA playoff game ahead for the Blue Hens and he brings up a word you don’t often hear at this time - “cherish.”
“I really cherish this moment,” he told Goff Rugby Report.
DIAA Latest - Davis Wins Pac West
UC Davis defeated Nevada-Reno 35-3 and Sacramento State 40-29 to win the Pacific Western conference title this past weekend.
With the victory, Davis gets a home playoff game in the DIAA Round of 16, and an excellent shot at repeating the title they won last season. Sac State, by virtue of the Hornets' 25-17 win over Chico State, also has qualified for the DIAA playoffs.
Harvard into DIAA Playoffs
Harvard will join the DIAA Round of 16 after the Crimson won two games in an Ivy League play-in this past weekend.
Harvard defeated Princeton 25-21 on Saturday and then held off Cornell 21-14 on Sunday to win the tournament (the Ivy League champion, Dartmouth, does not play in the DIAA playoffs, so the next four teams compete to find the seed to nationals).
