Women’s collegiate rugby is ramping up for back-to-back weekends of championship action this year as Women’s D1 and D2 National Championship 7s is set to take place in Lake Highlands, Dallas, TX from May 13-14th.
With the Women’s Spring D1 & D2 XVs Championships and the College Premier 7s National Championship last weekend, May 6th – 7th, down the road in Houston, the women’s competition sparks some creativity on how to serve their members across all seasons and variations of rugby union.
“It’s all about balance for us,” said Olivia Benzan-Daniel, Director of Operations for CRAA Women’s Divisions, “We have membership across the country that play 15s during different seasons, fall and spring, and with the rising popularity of 7s, we’ve got three weekends of action-packed rugby.”
USA Rugby CEO, Ross Young added, “Year in year out, the spring season is always an exciting window for championship collegiate rugby sevens, where the Women’s D1 and D2 carving out an exclusive weekend is an exciting second serving of competition, following the combined event in Houston. Best of luck to the participating teams as they dive into one of the best student-athlete experiences in sports.”
The College Rugby Association of America (CRAA) is a USA Rugby sanctioned competition that includes three divisions of college women’s competition, including Women’s D1 Elite, Women’s D1 and Women’s D2. CRAA W holds eleven member conferences that have the ability to declare for either Fall or Spring XVs competitive seasons, which culminate in their respective XVs championships. All conferences are eligible to compete in this year’s College 7s National Championship.
The tournament in Dallas will have the full support of local club hosts, Dallas Rugby Football Club, who will provide several amenities including concessions, photography, and event staff to ensure the tournament runs smoothly and to the best experience for the student-athletes. Lake Highlands has been the venue for several 7s tournaments in the past with three fields.
The top teams in each Division I and Division II will compete in regular pool play on Saturday, May 13th. Championship and consolation competitions will take place on Sunday, May 14th.
Collegiate Rugby Association of America
Olivia Benzan-Daniel | CRAA | obenzandaniel@craa.rugby
