(NCR Press Release)—National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) is pleased to announce the hiring of Jeremy Treece as its new Chief Executive Officer. Steve Cohen, current CEO and founder of National Small College Rugby Organization (NSCRO) will be focusing his time on strategic programming for the organization. In 2002, Cohen started an East Coast Division 3 College Championship that would become NSCRO in 2007 serving the needs of men’s and women’s small colleges.

Treece started serving NSCRO in 2012 as a key advisor and was named the NSCRO High Performance Commissioner in 2017 & Assistant Men’s Director in 2019.  He began his rugby career at North Adams State College in 1995. He then founded the rugby club at Franciscan University in 2000. When business took him and his family years later to New Hampshire, he helped resurrect a dormant New England College rugby club in 2011. His leadership at both schools helped to propel both programs to varsity status.

As CEO, Treece’s initial focus will be guiding NCR through these unprecedented times and working with the Board of Directors in developing both near and long-term strategies to raise the standards of experience and professionalism for college rugby.

“I’ve got big shoes to fill, Steve Cohen is a pioneer and legend in collegiate rugby. If I can accomplish half of what he has I’ll be a success.” he said.  Treece has a bold vision to grow college rugby into a conventional top 5 sport in America. He says, “Rugby is the perfect sport, if we can produce an exciting product the way other college sports do, it will strongly benefit in legitimizing the sport into the mainstream, in addition to assisting the growth and development of all teams across the collegiate landscape.”

Treece coached two NSCRO National Championship teams in 2014 & 2015 and was inducted into the Franciscan University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014. He also launched the American Rugby Coaches Association in 2014 with former All Blacks captain Tana Umaga and former Auckland Blues player Leo Lafaialii. Treece received his bachelor’s in communications and theology from Franciscan University. He and his wife, Bonnie, live in central New Hampshire with their 7 children where he owns a successful small business.

Cohen remarked that “after more than 50 years of dedication to rugby on many levels including nearly 30 years serving college rugby, the time has come for me to allow others to take the reins in guiding college rugby. NCR is very fortunate to have Jeremy alongside an outstanding talented group of Directors and Staff that will do so. I am honored to have played an important role in rugby to date and look forward to continue supporting NCR.”