Marian, Southern Nazarene Qualify for CRC

The road to the 2023 Collegiate Rugby Championship ran through Bethany, Oklahoma Saturday, as the Crimson Storm Classic qualified teams for the men’s and women’s Premier Cups at the CRC, April 28-30 at the Maryland Soccerplex in Boyds, Maryland. 

Host Southern Nazarene took the women’s title, defeating Texas A&M 15-10 in the final, with the University of Texas finishing third. SNU becomes the second program to qualify for the 16-team field, following Hawkeye 7s Champion Michigan. They’re joined by 15s national runner-up Notre Dame College and Aquinas, a perfect 7-0 this season, who are CRC bound as at-large selections. 

The Crimson Storm, Aggies and Longhorns aren’t done tangling for conference supremacy this spring. There are still two more stops to settle the Lonestar 7s series, March 25 at Texas A&M, and April 8 at Baylor. 

Marian defeated Iowa Central 19-10 in the men’s final Saturday, becoming the first team to qualify for the CRC in the 32-team field this spring. The Knights’ lone blemish was a 12-12 draw with Air Force in pool play. 

They didn’t lose again, beating SNU handily before downing McKendree in the quarterfinals and escaping Principia in the semifinals, 17-14.Principia rebounded to defeat Rio Grande, 29-5, and finish third. Air Force blanked McKendree 21-0 for fifth place.

‍