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.
Louisville Downs Bowling Green for MAC Title
Louisville defeated Bowling Green 32-22 in the MAC D1AA final Saturday.
In a classic rivalry match the Cardinals won the back-and-forth tussle with a snappy offense that created chances but also saw some of those chances fall away due to handling errors.
Those errors also set up chances for BGSU.
BC Takes Liberty D1AA
The Boston College Eagles held off Babson 32-21 to win the Liberty Conference D1AA final Saturday.
(Photos @CoolRugbyPhotos)
Babson had come in having upset previously unbeaten Northeastern, a team that had defeated BC. But that's why they play the game. Boston College's attack has been building nicely and they opened up an early lead.
Iowa State, Iowa Advance to HOA Final
Iowa and Iowa State, who played to a tight 24-22 result earlier in the season, will meet again, this time for the Heart of America title.
Defending champs Iowa State lost that 24-22 game to the Hawkeyes, but Saturday they defeated Oklahoma 59-12 to advance to the final.
Massive Decider Weekend in D1-Level College Rugby
It is a big weekend of rugby in D1A but especially NCR D1 and D1AA.
Teams secure championships, and get into major playoffs this week.
Here's how it goes:
In the Big 10 we get the final between Indiana and Notre Dame, plus all the placement games. Both teams will get into the NCR playoffs, it's just the runner-up will have to play a play-in game.
Babson Did What?
Probably the biggest head-turner result in D1AA over the weekend was Babson eking out a 48-47 win over Northeastern in the Liberty Conference semifinals.
