April 20 - Eight different conferences are represented in the Division I competition –
Liberty, Heart of America, MARC, Southern, Gold Coast, Florida, SCRC and MAC. Only two teams return from last year, Liberty champion UMass and UConn, and a new champion will be named.
Pairing with the Minutemen in Pool A are perennial MAC powerhouse Bowling Green, who haven’t been to the CRC since winning the Bowl at the inaugural tournament in 2010, MARC runner-up West Chester, and North Carolina, the top DI Club team out of the Southern Conference. Florida champion South Florida is a top seed in Pool C, grouped with UConn, Clemson, who finished third in the SCRC, and Delaware, who narrowly finished third in the MARC.
Looming large in Pool B are the University of San Diego, runners-up in the Gold Coast from the fall, and Missouri, led by all-conference center Jacob Reuter. The Tigers won the Bluff City 7s in Memphis in March and finished second to Air Force at the KCRFC Collegiate Invitational. Joining them is Liberty runner-up Boston College and local favorite Maryland. The Terrapins steeled themselves against Premier Cup-level competition all spring, and the Eagles arrive on the back of an undefeated fall in 15s.