NIRA Opening Weekend Gets Right to the Heart of It

09.03.2026College Women

Author: Alex Goff

NIRA's 2026 season starts on fire with some huge matchups in the first weekend.

Three-time defending NIRA DI champions Harvard are back with a very strong and exciting team. Yes they graduated MA Sorensen Award winner Tiahna Padilla to graduation. Also moving on is Charlotte Gilmour, Eva Rankin, Lennox London, Cameron Fields, Skylar Jordan, and Victoria Stanley ... all players that started for Harvard in the 2025 championship game against Lindenwood.

But, they do return USA U20 star Maddie Hubbell, who is only getting better, powerful-running No. 8 Gemma Ogoke, classy fullback Jojo Mignone, and try-scoring sensation Sana'a Lunon. This is still a team that can score tries and prevent them, too.

Harvard visits a Sacred Heart team with an outstanding forward pack led by Reece and Olivia Woods, Charlotte Dauser, and Avonlea Wood. Further afield, Reese Torticill, who is a powerful attacking presence, and snappy playmaker (and former high school teammate of Harvard's Hubbell), Megan Chura.

This is a high-level opener for both teams.

Another is Army at Dartmouth, a matchup of two 2025 NIRA semifinalists. Leading the way for Army last year were plays such as Chloe de Leon at scrumhalf, Cassidy Ball at loose forward, flyhalf Alissa Eisenhart, and 2025 MA Sorensen Award finalist Yesenia Morales. At the CRAA Premier 7s, prop Cecilia Ollis was excellent, showcasing intelligence and a high work rate, and the Wando HS product can be a massive influence for the Black Knights.

Tigers NIRA

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9.05.26
11:00am

Royals NIRA

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Crimson

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9.05.26
11:00am

Pioneers

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Black Knights W

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9.05.26
11:00am

Big Green

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Navy Women

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9.05.26
11:00am

Brown NIRA

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LIU

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9.05.26
12:00pm

Mount NIRA

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Royals NIRA

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9.06.26
12:00pm

AIC YellowJackets

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Crimson Storm

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9.06.26
1:00pm

LU Lions

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Dartmouth missed out on the championship game after four straight title match appearances (and two championships). This senior group, however, has skill all over. Annie Henrich has been good for a while but she unleashed her skills with an added explosiveness over the summer for the USA U20s. Scrumhalf, flyhalf, center, wing, fullback; she can do it all.

Jordynn LeBeau is a tough and versatile forward. Cindy Taulava is an imposing No. 8 while in the backs Jordis Lomu and Paola Arredondo Almeida provide attacking flair.

Brown missed out on the playoffs last year but they have a ton of young talent and good depth. That may be why Brown has two games this weekend, with New Haven coming in as well as the 1st-team game against the Naval Academy.

Navy has ramped up their coaching, not only bringing in Grant Keenan with the Crusaders Global Academy to work with the players last season, but also bringing in Eagles Thretton Palamo and Abbie Gustaitis to work with Head Coach Murph McCarthy. Two-thirds of this Navy team are freshmen and sophomores.

Also if interest in NIRA is that the teams not expected to challenge for a title will have slightly different schedules. So you will see Princeton, La Salle, Mount St. Mary's, and Long Island play each other a bit more. That's a good way to help those lineups build.

Meanwhile, AIC, having won the DII NIRA championship in dominant fashion last year is playing a schedule of all DI teams and they open against Queens.

Last year's runners-up, Lindenwood, will take advantage of the specific number of non-NCAA fixtures they can have by hosting Southern Nazarene. Those two teams will play twice.