Collegiate Rugby Championship


The Collegiate Rugby Championship is an annual college rugby sevens tournament. The CRC capitalized on the surge in popularity of rugby at major universities following the 2009 announcement of the addition of rugby sevens to the Summer Olympics. The CRC began as an independent competition run by USA Sevens, LLC, owned by American International Media LLC. It was the highest profile college rugby sevens competition in the United States, with the tournament broadcast live on NBC from 2010 to 2017 and on ESPN News and ESPN3 in 2018 and 2019. The CRC as it existed during this period has been called "the old CRC". Beginning in 2021, the tournament has been organized by National Collegiate Rugby for its member schools under license for the name and logo. It was broadcast by Rugby Network in 2021 and 2023 and CBS Sports in 2022. Since the CRC franchise was licensed to NCR, the tournament has primarily featured comparatively smaller universities. USA Rugby, the older rival of NCR, conducts its separate collegiate sevens championship annually, organized by its arm, the College Rugby Association of America.

Format and qualifying

The tournament has expanded since its inaugural competition, which featured sixteen sides, to include thirty-two sides competing in all divisions for both men and women in the 2024 tournament. The competition was played over the course of two days. Instead of the typical pool play seeding that was done in prior years, there were now cup and plate brackets. This format ensured that every game had to be won to secure the championship title. The first round held 16 matches, and the 8 winners from that would advance to the cup brackets and the losers to the bowl and shield brackets. This sorting of teams would continue until two were left in the cup bracket for a championship game.
The majority of the participating teams are invited to the tournament based on winning a qualifying tournament recognized by the National Collegiate Rugby. Teams can also participate by getting an at-large bid from the Collegiate Rugby Championship Committee.

History

The inaugural 2010 Collegiate Rugby Championship, at the time known as the Collegiate Championship Invitational, was held in Columbus, Ohio, at the Columbus Crew Stadium. Utah defeated Cal 31–26 in overtime in a thrilling final. Bowling Green's Rocco Mauer led the tournament with 11 tries and was named tournament MVP by Rugby Mag.
The 2011 Collegiate Rugby Championship moved to PPL Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NBC increased their coverage over the previous year, devoting 14 hours of coverage to the tournament. California and Arizona were favored after cruising to victories in the first day of pool play, but both were knocked out in quarterfinal upsets. Ultimately, Dartmouth beat Army 32–10 in the final.
Due to the strong support from Philadelphia fans and its Pennsylvania-based title sponsorship, Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company, the CRC remained in Philadelphia through 2019. Beginning in 2021, after a year's absence, the tournament has been organized by National Collegiate Rugby for its member schools under license for the name and logo. It moved to New Orleans in 2021 and was played at the Gold Mine on Airline. That venue again hosted the tournament for the 2022 edition, with television coverage provided by CBS Sports. Having previously been held in late Spring, the 2023 tournament was moved to late April and the venue once again changed to the Maryland SoccerPlex in the Washington, D.C. metro area.

Past results

Men

Men's championships

Team#Years
California Golden Bears|52013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
Lindenwood Lions|32018, 2019, 2021
Dartmouth Big Green|22011, 2012
Wheeling Cardinals|22024, 2025
Utah Utes|12010
Kutztown Golden Bears|12022
Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers|12023

Appearances

  • Champion
  • Runner-up
  • Semifinals
  • Quarterfinals
  • Participant
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School--
Dartmouth14''
Notre Dame14
Navy11
Penn State11
Kutztown11'
Virginia Tech11
Arizona10
Indiana10
California9'''''
Life9
Army9
Temple9
South Carolina8
UCLA7
St. Joseph's7
Michigan7
Clemson7
Wisconsin6
Air Force6
Maryland6
Boston College6
Iona6
Texas5
Lindenwood5'''
Wheeling University5''
Delaware5
St. Bonaventure5
Arkansas State4
Tennessee4
Notre Dame College4
Florida4
Northeastern4
Harvard4
Nazareth College 4
Fordham4
American International4
Marian University4
Utah3'
Mt St. Mary's3
Ohio State3
James Madison3
Iowa CCC3
Belmont Abbey3
Mary Washington3
Brown3
Rio Grande3
Fairfield3
Siena3
Aquinas3
Central Washington2
St. Mary's2
Oklahoma2
NC State2
Penn2
Drexel2
LSU2
Iowa State2
Alabama2
Babson2
Queens2
Loyola 2
San Diego State1
Davenport1
Western Michigan1
Cal Maritime1
Arizona State1
Bowling Green1
North Carolina1
Villanova1
Colorado-Denver1
Franciscan1
Salve Regina1
Wayne State1
Lander University1
New Mexico Tech1
Central College 1
Louisiana1
Tulane1
University of Denver1
Mckendree University1
Taylor University1
Christendom College1
Scholastica1
West Chester1
Louisville1
USC1
Howard1
Thomas More1
Eastern Carolina1
Southern Virginia1
Principa1
South Nazarene1
Texas A&M1
Walsh1
Adrian1
Purdue1
Drury1