Princeton University has announced that it is following some of its Ivy League peers in making women's rugby an NCAA varsity sport.

Princeton follows Harvard, Dartmouth, and Brown on the road to NCAA status, and interestingly, Princeton may well have the most successful history on the national stage of any of those programs. Princeton made the national D1 college semifinals nine times from 1991 to 2005, winning it all in 1995 and 1996, and also made the top three at USA Rugby's 7s championships three times. 

"This is an exciting day for Princeton women's rugby and Princeton Athletics," said Princeton Director of Athletics Mollie Marcoux Samaan. "The women's rugby team has been a transformative experience for generations of Princetonians, providing valuable educational opportunities and offering a strong, vibrant, empowering and diverse community. A tremendous amount of effort has gone into this process, and I am thankful for the passionate work of the club's student officers and members of the Princeton University Rugby Endowment board. We look forward to working together on a smooth transition from club to varsity status. We are proudly celebrating the 50th anniversary of women's athletics at Princeton this year, and I can think of no better way to continue that celebration than by making this announcement which will provide even more opportunities for female student-athletes to enjoy the enormous benefits of varsity athletics participation."

The Princeton women's program will officially become varsity in the fall of 2022. They will join the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) and will be in DI of that competition. 

"Princeton has been a storied and prolific program in the women's collegiate rugby space for decades," said Amy Rusert, Commissioner of the NIRA. "On behalf of NIRA, we are excited beyond measure to continue to work with everyone involved with Princeton Athletics as women's rugby transitions its tradition of excellence and achievement into its next historic chapter as a varsity program."

This is quite a big development. After the initial varsity appointments at Harvard, Dartmouth, and Brown, the other Ivy League schools did not follow suit. To have Princeton, which first played intercollegiate rugby in 1877, finally make the move is a sign that the NCAA movement continues to take hold. 

Currently there are 26 NCAA Varsity teams in NIRA, nine in DIII, nine in DII, and eight in DI.