National U.S. Collegiate Hurling Champions


The National Collegiate Gaelic Athletic Association is a non-profit organization that oversees hurling and Gaelic football sports for universities in North America. Since beginning in 2011, the NCGAA has grown to over 27 active clubs across the United States and Canada.
The first ever U.S. NCGAA hurling championship took place in 2011. In 2014, a second lower division of the championship, known as the Shield, was introduced. The NCGAA expanded to include Gaelic football in 2022.
The NCGAA championship has been held at various times throughout the year and has settled into the weekend of Saint Patrick's day.

Team Successes

Hurling

In 2011, Indiana University won the first hurling championship, beating UC Berkeley 3-4 to 1-6. The University of Montana became the first team to win the championship back-to-back, doing so in both 2014 and 2015 and in 2017 and 2018. The University of Pittsburgh became the first team to win the NCGAA championship four times in a row from 2019 to 2023. Two players from the University of Pittsburgh, Luca Donini and Stephen Wagner played in all four championships. Purdue University won back-to-back championships in 2024 and 2025, with both wins broadcast live by ESPN.
A complete list of winners of the U.S. NCGAA hurling championship is below.
YearWinnerLocation
2011Indiana UniversityGaelic Park, Chicago, IL
2012Purdue UniversityStanford University, California
2013University of California, BerkeleyPurdue, Indiana
2014University of Montana, MissoulaGaelic Park, New York
2015University of Montana, MissoulaMissoula, Montana
2016University of ConnecticutBoulder, Colorado
2017University of Montana, MissoulaChicago, Illinois
2018University of Montana, MissoulaBoulder, Colorado
2019University of PittsburghChapel Hill, North Carolina
2020University of PittsburghOrlando, Florida
2022University of PittsburghOrlando, Florida
2023University of PittsburghLouisville, Kentucky
2024Purdue UniversitySalt Lake City, Utah
2025Purdue UniversityDenver, Colorado

Growing the Game

Besides overseeing the competitive aspect of collegiate hurling, the NCGAA tries to raise awareness and increase participation of hurling in America.

2024 National Championship

In 2024, the NCGAA final was televised on ESPN3. This was the first nationally televised match in the United States since the All-Ireland Final in 1973. Purdue University defeated Colorado University at Zion Bank Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, to win the hurling final. The final score reported on ESPN's live stream was 5-12 to 1-11. The correct score on review was 6-12 to 1-11

College GameDay

The first game of the 2024 U.S. college football season was played in Ireland. It marked the first time that the pre-game television sports show "College GameDay" originated outside of the United States. As part of the show, the NCGAA's Naoise Waldron taught Desmond Howard, Jess Simms and Stanford Steve the basics of hurling.

Heinz History Center

To honor the University of Pittsburgh's four-in-a-row NCGAA championships, the Heinz History Center included an exhibit on the university's hurling team in the entryway for the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum.