# National Intercollegiate Rugby Association

The National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) is a governing body of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) collegiate women's rugby programs in the United States founded in 2015.

## History

The NIRA traces roots back to 2015 when eight NCAA member institutions formed the National Collegiate Varsity Women’s Rugby Association (NCVWRA) to organize collegiate competition and aid in the promotion of rugby at the varsity level in the NCAA after rugby was promoted to Emerging Sport status.
Inaugural members of the association included Army, Bowdoin, Brown, Central Washington, Harvard, Norwich, Quinnipiac, and West Chester. Membership in the organization is limited to NCAA institutions who sponsor women’s rugby at the varsity level. In 2016 the association became known as the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA).

## Members

As of November, 2023:

### Division I

| Club | Location | Nickname | Type | Joined | Coach |
| Army West Point | West Point, New York | Black Knights | Service Academy | 2018 | Bill LeClerc |
| Brown University | Providence, Rhode Island | Bears | Private | 2018 | Kathy Flores |
| Dartmouth College | Hanover, New Hampshire | Big Green | Private | 2018 | Katie Dowty |
| Harvard University | Cambridge, Massachusetts | Crimson | Private | 2018 | Mel Denham |
| Long Island University | Brooklyn / Brookville, NY | Sharks | Private | 2018 | Colleen Doherty |
| Mount St. Mary's University | Emmitsburg, Maryland | Mountaineers | Private | 2018 | Farrah Douglas |
| Princeton University | Princeton, New Jersey | Tigers | Private | 2022 | Josie Ziluca |
| Quinnipiac University | Hamden, Connecticut | Bobcats | Private | 2018 | Becky Carlson |
| Sacred Heart University | Fairfield, Connecticut | Pioneers | Private | 2018 | Michelle Reed |

### Division II

| Club | Location | Nickname | Type | Joined | Coach |
| American International College | Springfield, Massachusetts | Yellow Jackets | Private | 2018 | Tara Roberts |
| Davenport University | Michigan | Panthers | Private | | |
| Emory and Henry University | Emory, Virginia | Wasps | Private | | |
| Frostburg State University | Frostburg, Maryland | Bobcats | Public | | |
| Lander University | Greenwood, South Carolina | Bearcats | Public | |
| Newberry College | Newberry, South Carolina | Wolves | | |
| University of New Haven | West Haven, Connecticut | Chargers | Private | |
| Queens University of Charlotte | Charlotte, North Carolina | Royals | Private | 2019 | Katie Wurst |
| West Chester University | Chester County, Pennsylvania | Golden Rams | Public | 2018 | Tony Deremer |

### Division III

| Club | Location | Nickname | Type | Joined | Coach |
| Bowdoin College | Brunswick, Maine | Polar Bears | Private | 2018 | MaryBeth Mathews |
| Castleton University | Castleton, Vermont | Spartans | Public | 2018 | Frank Graziano |
| Colby–Sawyer College | New London, New Hampshire | Chargers | Private | 2018 | Ken Pape |
| Guilford College | Greensboro, North Carolina | Quakers | Private | 2020 | Emily Record |
| Manhattanville University | Purchase, New York | Valiants | Private | 2020 | TBD |
| New England College | Henniker, New Hampshire | Pilgrims | Private | 2019 | Tom Campbell |
| Norwich University | Northfield, Vermont | Cadets | Private | 2018 | Austin Hall |
| University of New England | Biddeford, Maine | Nor'easters | Private | 2018 | Ashley Potvin-Fulford |
| Warren Wilson College | Swannanoa, NC | Owls | Private | | |

## Championship finals
### Division I

| Ed. | Year | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Ref. |
| 1 | 2015 | Quinnipiac (1) | 24–19 | Army | |
| 2 | 2016 | Quinnipiac (2) | 46–24 | Central Washington | |
| 3 | 2017 | Quinnipiac (3) | 29–20 | Dartmouth | |
| 4 | 2018 | Dartmouth (1) | 19–14 | Harvard | |
| 5 | 2019 | Harvard (1) | 18–7 | Army | |
| 6 | 2020 | (not held due to covid-19 pandemic) | (not held due to covid-19 pandemic) | (not held due to covid-19 pandemic) | (not held due to covid-19 pandemic) |
| 7 | 2021 | Dartmouth (2) | 28–18 | Army | |
| 8 | 2022 | Dartmouth (3) | 15–10 | Harvard | |
| 9 | 2023 | Harvard (2) | 20–12 | Dartmouth | |

### Division II

* 2019 – West Chester 15–14 Brown
* 2018 – Mount St. Mary's 22–15 Sacred Heart
* 2017 – University of New England 57–14 Bowdoin
* 2016 – Bowdoin College 32–22 University of New England

### Division III

* 2019 – Bowdoin College 27–5 University of New England