The College Rugby Association of America (CRAA), in partnership with USA Rugby and the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA), is proud to announce the CRAA USA Rugby Women\u2019s 7s National Championship, set to take place in Indianapolis at Kuntz Stadium, on April 25-26, 2026.<\/p>\n
The tournament will feature two competitive brackets \u2013 Premier and Challenger \u2013 bringing together the top women\u2019s rugby programs from CRAA and NIRA. The event will showcase the very best in collegiate women\u2019s rugby, uniting programs from across the country in a two-day competition at the highest level of the collegiate game.<\/p>\n
Building the Women\u2019s Sevens Pathway<\/p>\n
This championship has been deliberately structured to provide a talent identification pathway to the USA Women\u2019s Sevens National Team, aligning with long-term planning ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. By uniting CRAA and NIRA institutions in a single national championship competition, players will gain meaningful high-performance match minutes, national exposure, and direct visibility with USA Rugby\u2019s talent identification programs. The combined Premier and Challenger brackets ensure that elite and emerging programs alike have a platform to compete, develop, and contribute to the next generation of Eagles.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving our student-athletes compete on a national stage with CRAA programs not only elevates the standard of play but also reinforces the growth of women\u2019s rugby in the U.S.,\u201d said Katie Dowty, Dartmouth College Head Coach. \u201cThis collaboration creates a true developmental bridge between collegiate competition and the international game.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis event ensures our best women\u2019s programs are playing in meaningful matches with national championship implications,\u201d added Ryszard Chadwick, Life University Head Coach. \u201cIt\u2019s about preparing these athletes for what\u2019s next\u2014whether that\u2019s professional rugby, USA Sevens, or the Olympics.\u201d<\/p>\n
Paul Keeler, President of CRAA, emphasized the broader vision, \u201cThe CRAA Women\u2019s 7s National Championship is more than just a tournament. It\u2019s a milestone in building a sustainable pathway for women\u2019s rugby in the United States. With the 2028 Olympics on the horizon, our goal is to give players and programs the resources, competition, and exposure they need to thrive on the world stage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRiverside Sports Properties is proud to welcome the CRAA Women\u2019s 7s National Championship back to Kuntz Stadium for the second consecutive year, reinforcing Indianapolis\u2019s role as a leader in women\u2019s and collegiate sport,\u201d said Bryce Campbell, General Manager of Riverside Sports Properties. \u201cThis event reflects our shared commitment with the City of Indianapolis, Indiana Sports Corp, and our rugby partners to build a world-class, inclusive venue that serves as both a community asset and a platform for national competition.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The College Rugby Association of America (CRAA), in partnership with USA Rugby and the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":729616,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5311],"tags":[12058,49,978,659],"class_list":["post-729615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-states","tag-college","tag-united-states","tag-us","tag-usa"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115981037263334122","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729615","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=729615"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729615\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/729616"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=729615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=729615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=729615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}