National Intercollegiate Rugby Association

National Intercollegiate
Rugby Association
AbbreviationNIRA
Formation2015; 9 years ago (2015)
Legal statusAssociation
Region served
United States
Official language
English
Commissioner
Amy Rusert
Main organ
Board of Directors
Websitenira.rugby

The National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) is a governing body of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) collegiate women's rugby programs in the United States founded in 2015.

History

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The NIRA traces roots back to 2015 when eight NCAA member institutions formed the National Collegiate Varsity Women’s Rugby Association (NCVWRA) to organize collegiate competition and aid in the promotion of rugby at the varsity level in the NCAA after rugby was promoted to Emerging Sport status.[1][2]

Inaugural members of the association included Army, Bowdoin, Brown, Central Washington, Harvard, Norwich, Quinnipiac, and West Chester. Membership in the organization is limited to NCAA institutions who sponsor women’s rugby at the varsity level.[2] In 2016 the association became known as the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA).[3]

Members

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As of November, 2023:[4]

Division I

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Club Location Nickname Type Joined Coach
Army West Point West Point, New York Black Knights Service Academy 2018 Bill LeClerc
Brown University Providence, Rhode Island Bears Private 2018 Kathy Flores
Dartmouth College Hanover, New Hampshire Big Green Private 2018 Katie Dowty
Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts Crimson Private 2018 Mel Denham
Long Island University Brooklyn / Brookville, NY Sharks Private 2018 Colleen Doherty
Mount St. Mary's University Emmitsburg, Maryland Mountaineers Private 2018 Farrah Douglas
Princeton University Princeton, New Jersey Tigers Private 2022 Josie Ziluca[5]
Quinnipiac University Hamden, Connecticut Bobcats Private 2018 Becky Carlson
Sacred Heart University Fairfield, Connecticut Pioneers Private 2018 Michelle Reed

Division II

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Club Location Nickname Type Joined Coach
American International College Springfield, Massachusetts Yellow Jackets Private 2018 Tara Roberts
Davenport University Michigan Panthers Private
Emory and Henry University Emory, Virginia Wasps Private
Frostburg State University Frostburg, Maryland Bobcats Public
Lander University Greenwood, South Carolina Bearcats Public
Newberry College Newberry, South Carolina Wolves
University of New Haven West Haven, Connecticut Chargers Private
Queens University of Charlotte Charlotte, North Carolina Royals Private 2019 Katie Wurst
West Chester University Chester County, Pennsylvania Golden Rams Public 2018 Tony Deremer

Division III

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Club Location Nickname Type Joined Coach
Bowdoin College Brunswick, Maine Polar Bears Private 2018 MaryBeth Mathews
Castleton University Castleton, Vermont Spartans Public 2018 Frank Graziano
Colby–Sawyer College New London, New Hampshire Chargers Private 2018 Ken Pape
Guilford College Greensboro, North Carolina Quakers Private 2020 Emily Record
Manhattanville University Purchase, New York Valiants Private 2020 TBD
New England College Henniker, New Hampshire Pilgrims Private 2019 Tom Campbell
Norwich University Northfield, Vermont Cadets Private 2018 Austin Hall
University of New England Biddeford, Maine Nor'easters Private 2018 Ashley Potvin-Fulford
Warren Wilson College Swannanoa, NC Owls Private

Championship finals

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Division I

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Ed. Year Winner Score Runner-up Ref.
1
 2015 Quinnipiac (1)
24–19
 Army [6]
2
 2016 Quinnipiac (2)
46–24
 Central Washington
3
 2017 Quinnipiac (3)
29–20
 Dartmouth
4
 2018 Dartmouth (1)
19–14
 Harvard [7]
5
 2019 Harvard (1)
18–7
 Army [8]
6
 2020
(not held due to covid-19 pandemic)
7
 2021 Dartmouth (2)
28–18
 Army [9][10]
8
 2022 Dartmouth (3)
15–10
 Harvard [10][11]
9
 2023 Harvard (2)
20–12
 Dartmouth [12]

Division II

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Division III

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  • 2019 – Bowdoin College 27–5 University of New England [15]

References

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  1. ^ "Emerging Sports for Women". www.ncaa.org. NCAA. Archived from the original on 27 April 2011. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
  2. ^ a b Young, Wendy (September 11, 2014). "National Collegiate Varsity Women's Rugby Association (NCVWRA) Formed". Your Scrumhalf Connection. Archived from the original on 14 January 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  3. ^ "Women's Intercollegiate Season Starts with 2015 Final Rematch". Goff Rugby Report. Aug 31, 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-11-04. Retrieved 2016-11-02. What was the NCWVRA [National Collegiate Women's Varsity Rugby Association] is now the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association.
  4. ^ Teams at NIRA website, November 27, 2023
  5. ^ "Women's Rugby". Princeton Tigers. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  6. ^ Finlan, Jackie (November 22, 2015). "Quinnipiac, First Varsity Champion". The Goff Rugby Report. Archived from the original on 12 September 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  7. ^ "Dartmouth Claims Program's First NIRA Championship". USA Rugby. Archived from the original on 2019-02-09. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
  8. ^ "Women's Rugby Crowned NIRA National Champions After Victory Over Army West Point, 18–7". Harvard Athletics. Archived from the original on 2020-01-31. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  9. ^ Hanover for Second Time By: Charlotte Brackett, 20 Nov 2021
  10. ^ a b Women's Rugby to Host Two-Time Defending NIRA Champion Dartmouth at Goprincetontigers, 23 Sep 2023
  11. ^ Big Green Repeat as Division I NIRA Champions at darthmouthsports.com, 19 Nov 2022
  12. ^ Champions! #1 Women's Rugby Captures 2023 NCAA DI Championship With 20-12 Win Against #2 Dartmouth at Gocrimson.com
  13. ^ @NIRArugby (17 November 2019). "Brown in possession but it's not enough. Final WCU 15 Brown 14" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ^ "CHAMPIONS! Mount Women's Rugby Holds off Sacred Heart, 22-15, for the NIRA Tier II Championship - Mount St. Mary's". Archived from the original on 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
  15. ^ "Women's Rugby Runs Away From UNE to Claim NIRA Division III Title". Bowdoin Athletics. Archived from the original on 2020-06-03. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
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