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 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.
NIRA DI Season Kicks Off This Weekend
We’re ready for the NIRA DI season to open and we’ve got some changes.
The big change is that Lindenwood, having moved to NCAA DI for women’s rugby in 2024, are in the schedule now, rounding out a DI conference of 11 teams.
Dartmouth Clearly Top of Women's 7s Heap
Dartmouth defeated Life University in quite emphatic fashion Saturday to win the CRAA Women's Premier 7s, taking the final 31-0.
This tournament once again lived up to its billing, providing outstanding entertainment for a strong fan following, and also giving fans some upsets, and plenty of drama.
CRAA Women's 7s Set for This Weekend The College Rugby Association of America is hosting a women's 7s championship during CRAA's championship weekend in Houston May 3-5. Two brackets will be in action: a Women's Premier which is composed of 10 D1 Elite and NIRA teams; and a Club-level bracket consisting of teams not in those two leagues. Here are the pools: Premier 7s Pool A: Life, Dartmouth, Central Washington, Davenport, Princet
Two Navy Rugby Grads Earn Prestigious Scholarships
Two seniors from Navy Women's Rugby have been awarded prestigious scholarships to pursue graduate studies overseas.
Abigail (AJ) Ward has received a Rhodes Scholarship, while Charlotte d'Halluin has received a Marshall Scholarship.
