The National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) governs women’s varsity collegiate rugby in the United States under the NCAA emerging sport framework. NIRA organizes competition across Division I, a combined Division II/III, and a Developmental Division that supports new or growing varsity programs. Division I features established powerhouses such as Dartmouth, Harvard, and Army, while the combined DII/III tier brings together competitive mid-sized and small colleges for meaningful postseason play. The Developmental Division provides a pathway for schools transitioning to varsity status, helping expand and strengthen women’s collegiate rugby nationwide.
NIRA DI Week 3: Follow-Up Time
Navy at Lindenwood highlights this weekend in NIRA DI.
However, Army vs Queens (at the US Naval Academy) is also a key game for both.
Unfortunately, Dartmouth at Princeton has been called off.
NIRA DI Latest: Who Put Their Hand Up?
The surprises keep coming in NIRA DI as a couple of teams made statements this weekend.
Lions Caught Crimson-Handed
Lindenwood made the trip to Massachusetts and were defeated by two-time defending champs Harvard 26-17.
Pivotal Early Week in NIRA DI
We're already into the 2nd week of the NIRA D1 and we've got a couple of pivotal matches.
Stung
Feeling the sting of a big loss, Brown and Quinnipiac will face off in Connecticut and we'll see who can bounce back from a rough start. Brown's late tries against Sacred Heart might be a signal that they already made some adjustments.
Special Program Debut and More from DII and DIII NIRA Games
Outside of the NIRA DI conference there was still some notable games among NCAA women's colleges.
Most of the action was cross-divisional, and a key one of those was LaSalle vs Mount St. Mary's. While the Mount is pursuing a 7s postseason, they are still playing a strong 15s season, and this time they were the inaugural opponent for LaSalle.
NIRA Opening Weekend: Head-Turning Results
Navy, Harvard, Lindenwood, Long Island, Dartmouth, and Sacred Heart all took wins in the opening weekend for DI NIRA teams.
Of those, only Harvard playing a non-conference game, as the Crimson looked very shark in their 55-7 defeat of AIC.
Here’s what happened.
