Men’s Division II: Upsets Shake Bracket as Final Four Emerges

BOYDS, MD– On day one of the 2026 Collegiate Rugby Championship Men’s Division II competition, 16 teams entered the field and by the end of day one only four remain. UNC-Wilmington, Northwestern, Colorado Mesa and Coastal Carolina each earned a pair of victories to advance to the Cup Semifinals and a chance at a Championship.

In the East region, top-seeded UNC-Wilmington opened its day with a 33-17 win against Norwich before earning a 19-7 triumph over Georgetown who beat Albany 17-7 in the first round. Northwestern, the surprise of day one, opened with a 19-5 upset of Memphis before winning 21-10 against No. 2 seed Grand Valley State. The Lakers opened their day with a 31-7 win over Montana State.

Out in the West, Colorado Mesa was the other big surprise of day one. The fourth seeded Mavericks defeated Vermont 17-12 in their opener before upsetting top seed Miami (OH) 24-19. The RedHawks started the day with a 21-14 victory over Drexel.

In the bottom half of the West bracket, Coastal Carolina advanced to the semifinals, defeating Towson 26-14 and Northern Iowa 26-19. The Panthers started their day with a 36-5 over IUP.

After the first day of the tournament, Luca Race is the leading scorer. The senior from Vermont has scored a half-dozen tries and added three conversions for 36 points.

All matches streamed live for $19.99 weekend all-access pass on NCR TV.

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