Men’s Premier: Four Teams Left Standing After Day One Chaos

BOYDS, MD – In the Men’s Premier Division, 32 teams started their weekend on Friday morning with the hope of winning five straight games and winning the greatest prize in collegiate rugby. Over the course of the next 11 and a half hours, that number was whittled down to just four, and of those four only one was a No. 1 seed in their region. Dartmouth, Notre Dame, Kutztown and No. 1 seed Wheeling each picked up a trio of victories and will go to bed tonight dreaming of two victories on Saturday.

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In the East region, No. 2 seed Dartmouth opened its day with a 17-12 victory over Michigan and followed that up with a 19-14 win against AIC. The Big Green then pulled off the surprise of the day with a dramatic 10-7 victory over top-seeded St. Bonaventure to advance to the semifinals with a try at the death.

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Down in the South region, No. 2 seed Notre Dame began the weekend with a 34-12 win over Virginia Tech before shutting out San Diego 19-0. In the quarterfinals, the Fighting Irish overcame No. 1 seed Walsh 24-17.

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Way out West, No. 1 seed Wheeling lived up to its reputation. The Cardinals opened with a 45-0 drubbing of Indiana Tech before dissecting Utah State 38-10. In the quarterfinals, Wheeling defeated Belmont Abbey 29-10. No. 3 Belmont Abbey provided the only upset in the West when they defeated No. 2 Southern Virginia 19-10 in Round of 16.

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In the Midwest region, No. 2 seed Kutztown opened with a 19-12 triumph over Rio Grande before earning a 22-17 victory over Brown. In the quarterfinal, the Golden Bears trailed late before scoring a pair of tries to topple the top-seeded Hoosiers of Indiana 19-10.

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After one day of play, the leading scorer is Shadreck Mandaza. Mandaza, a sophomore for Wheeling, has recorded five tries and added a half-dozen conversions for 36 points in three matches played.

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All matches streamed live with $19.99 Weekend Pass on NCR TV.