The Midwest D1 Women’s Rugby Conference has joined NSCRO starting this fall.

The first Women’s D1 conference to make the move to the new Women’s Open Division, the conference includes the University of Minnesota, which made the national D1 fall semis in November.

Because D1 conferences weren't necessarily expected to join NSCRO, some changes will need to be made to the competition structure.

“We are trying to be inclusive, although adding the D1 teams requires the creation of an elite tier," said NSCRO Open Division Commissioner Angela Smarto. "We’re willing to do this in order to provide a new home for the D1’s while maintaining parity for the teams in the open division.”

The conference is made up of five teams from Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin.

Iowa State University
University of Iowa
University of Minnesota
University of Northern Iowa
University of Wisconsin - Madison

Current D2 Fall Champions Winona State will also compete in the conference in the fall.