Eight D1AA teams remain in hunt for National Championship

BOULDER, Colo. – Eight of the very best Men’s Division IAA teams will compete for a place in the College 15s National Championships during the April 25-26 Quarterfinals and Semifinals.

Pittsburgh’s Founder’s Field will host the East Regional, where Central Florida will take on Kings Point and West Virginia is set to do battle with Yale. In California, the campus of UC Davis will play host to Quarterfinal matchups between Arkansas and Long Beach, as well as UC Davis and Western Washington.

East Regional – Founder’s Field

Central Florida vs. Kings Point
Reigning National Champion Central Florida is back at it. After winning D1AA titles in both 2013 and 2014, the Knights again won the South Independent Rugby Conference’s South Division with a 5-1 regular season record. Inevitably, Central Florida ended up in its Conference Championship game against North Division winner Middle Tennessee. The result was a 48-10 hammering of Middle Tennessee at the hands of the confident Knights side.

Central Florida’s Quarterfinal opponent, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, have reached the Regional Playoff round with its 5-1 run in the Empire Rugby Conference. Led by senior Danny Ardis, who had four multi-try performances in the Midshipmen’s six league matches and led the Empire Conference in tries, will captain a determined and physical group against the reigning National Champions. Also known for its size and physicality, Central Florida will be happy to duke it out in the trenches with Kings Point.

West Virginia vs. Yale
West Virginia, who is set to join D1A Rugby and the Rugby East Conference next fall, will take one last crack at a D1AA title after winning the Keystone Conference for a second consecutive season. Following a 5-0 Keystone record and outscoring opponents 305-21 in the process, the Mountaineers beat St. Joseph’s in the Conference Final to earn a place in the D1AA Quarterfinal. Besides its dominant stretch of conference play, West Virginia also challenged itself with nonconference contests against Notre Dame College, Stony Brook, and two games against in-state rival Wheeling Jesuit.

The unlikeliest of participants in the D1AA Quarterfinals might be Yale considering its 2-5 regular season showing placed the Bulldogs in the bottom half of the Ivy League standings at season’s end. However, a South American tour ahead of the Ivy 15s tournament improved the skill and culture of the Yale Rugby program, and the Bulldogs beat Cornell and Brown in the Conference Semifinals and Final, respectively, to reach the first D1AA Quarterfinal in school history.

Purchase College 15s tickets >>

West Regional – University of California – Davis

Arkansas vs. Long Beach State
The University of Arkansas proved superior to the rest of the Heart of American field after its 5-0-1 season. While the undefeated season was impressive, it’s the Razorbacks’ plus-233 point different they tallied in six conference matches that has the side looking like a real contender in the D1AA Playoffs.

“It’s the pinnacle,” club president Cameron Probst described to KFSM 5 News. “It’s what we came here to do. It’s what we play rugby for.”

Arkansas’ next test will be a round of eight encounter with Long Beach State. The 49ers have quietly become one of the most consistently formidable squads in D1AA following a fourth Gold Coast Conference crown in as many years. Even when it came to the Gold Coast Playoffs it looked as though Long Beach was unstoppable. A day after beating Cal State Fullerton, 74-12, in the Semifinals, the 49ers easily handled a quality Santa Barbara City College team by 30 points to claim the Conference once again.

UC Davis vs. Western Washington
Only a year removed from playing in D1A, UC Davis has enjoyed a massively successful first season in D1AA. Carrying a perfect 8-0 record into the Pacific West Conference Playoffs, the Aggies easily dispatched Sacramento State, 81-0, in the Semifinals, which earned them a Finals date with Chico State. Barely slipping past the Wildcats by three points in January, UC Davis showed immense improvement by routing Chico State by 30 points in the Conference Championship.

Western Washington’s 5-2 regular season record saw the Vikings into the top half of the Northwest Collegiate Rugby Conference table and into league playoffs. Hitting its stride at the right moment, Western Washington put away Oregon in the Semifinals and exacted revenge on Washington, which beat the Vikings in the regular season, by defeating the Huskies, 29-22, in the NCRC Final. In attack, Western Washington has been paced by center Nick Bonovich’s team-leading five tries.

The winning team from each region will advance to the May 9 USA Rugby College 15s National Championships to at Fifth Third Bank Stadium at Kennesaw State University in Atlanta. Along with the Men’s D1AA National Championship Final, the Men’s D1A and Women’s DI and DII title matches will be held at the College 15s National Championships.

2015 USA Rugby Men’s D1AA Quarterfinals/Semifinals

Match	Matchup	Location	Date/Time
QF #1	Central Florida v USMMA Kings Point	Founder’s Field, Pittsburgh	Saturday, April 25 – 11 a.m. ET
QF #2	West Virginia v Yale	Founder’s Field, Pittsburgh	Saturday, April 25 – 12:45 p.m. ET
QF #3	UC Davis v Western Washington	UC Davis	Saturday, April 25 – 3 p.m. ET
QF #4	Arkansas v Long Beach State	UC Davis	Saturday, April 25 – 4:45 p.m. ET
Consolation #1	QF #1 Loser v QF #2 Loser	Founder’s Field, Pittsburgh	Sunday, April 26 – 11 a.m. ET
SF #1	QF #1 Winner v QF #2 Winner	Founder’s Field, Pittsburgh	Sunday, April 26 – 12:45 p.m. ET
Consolation #2	QF #3 Loser v QF #4 Loser	UC Davis	Sunday, April 26 – 2 p.m. ET
SF #2	QF #3 Winner v QF #4 Winner	UC Davis	Sunday, April 26 – 3:45 p.m. ET