# National U.S. Collegiate Hurling Champions

The National Collegiate Gaelic Athletic Association is a non-profit organization that oversees Hurling and Gaelic Football sports for universities in North America. Since beginning in 2011, the NCGAA has grown to over 27 active clubs across the United States and Canada.
The first ever U.S. NCGAA hurling championship took place in 2011. In 2014, a second lower division of the championship known as the Shield was introduced. The NCGAA expanded to include Gaelic Football in 2022.
The NCGAA champions has been held on various times throughout the year but has settled into the weekend of Saint Patrick's day.

## Team Successes
### Hurling

In 2011, Indiana University won the first hurling championship, beating UC Berkeley 3-4 (13) to 1-6 (9). The University of Montana became the first team to win the championship back-to-back, doing so in both 2014 & 2015 and in 2017 & 2018. The University of Pittsburgh became the first team to win the NCGAA championship 4 times in a row from 2019 to 2023 (the 2021 championships was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic). Two players from the University of Pittsburgh, Luca Donini and Stephen Wagner played in all four championships.
A complete list of winners of the U.S. NCGAA hurling championship is below.
| Year | Winner | Location |
| 2011 | Indiana University | Gaelic Park, Chicago, IL |
| 2012 | Purdue University | Stanford University, California |
| 2013 | University of California, Berkeley | Purdue, Indiana |
| 2014 | University of Montana, Missoula | Gaelic Park, New York |
| 2015 | University of Montana, Missoula | Missoula, Montana |
| 2016 | University of Connecticut | Boulder, Colorado |
| 2017 | University of Montana, Missoula | Chicago, Illinois |
| 2018 | University of Montana, Missoula | Boulder, Colorado |
| 2019 | University of Pittsburgh | Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| 2020 | University of Pittsburgh | Orlando, Florida |
| 2022 | University of Pittsburgh | Orlando, Florida |
| 2023 | University of Pittsburgh | Louisville, Kentucky |
| 2024 | Purdue University | Salt Lake City, Utah |

## Growing the Game

Besides overseeing the competitive aspect of collegiate Hurling, the NCGAA tries to raise awareness and increase participation of Hurling in America.

### 2024 National Championship

In 2024, the NCGAA finals was televised on ESPN3. This was the first nationally televised match in the United States since the All-Ireland Final in 1973. Purdue University overcame Colorado University at Zion Bank Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah to win the hurling final. The final score reported on ESPN's live stream was 5-12 (27) to 1-11 (14). The correct score on review was 6-12 (30) to 1-11 (14)

### Details

| GK | 0 | Clay Williams |
| FB | 59 | Ian Cockerall (c) |
| FB | 30 | Michael Wise |
| WB | 25 | Ryan McLoughlin |
| HB | 69 | Sean Harkin |
| WB | 97 | Blake Kessler |
| MF | 83 | Dylan Clarke |
| MF | 15 | Michael Brennan |
| WF | 24 | Liam Clarke |
| HF | 11 | Evan Grealish |
| WF | 17 | Daylen Conn |
| FF | 5 | Grayson Fish |
| FF | 6 | Danny Rubin (c) |
| Substitutes: ||
| F | 12 | Joseph Corbett |
| F | 67 | Reece Kerschner |
| B | 3 | Jonah Peterson |
| F | 44 | Ben Cabot |
| B | 37 | Mikey Davis |
| F | 43 | Travis Gregory |
| F | 25 | Jeremiah Budd |
| B | 45 | Reily Bresnahan |
| B | 57 | Izzy Surinak |
| F | 4 | Katie Essex |
| F | 1 | Van Hibbeln |
| F | 16 | Adam Bartley |
| F | 20 | Liam Rogers |
| GK | 1 | Seamus O'Shea |
| FB | 2 | Amy Holland |
| FB | 33 | Larry Enderson |
| WB | 3 | Leo Buck |
| HB | 33 | Mark Sheehan |
| WB | 9 | Kieran Maguire |
| MF | 28 | Conall McCabe |
| MF | 23 | Michael Jordan |
| WF | 69 | Patrick Burns |
| HF | 34 | Maximiliano Silva |
| WF | 7 | Will Poey |
| FF | 18 | Logan Wallace |
| FF | 6 | Ava Russell |

### College GameDay

The 2024 College Football Season started out in Ireland with Georgia Tech defeating Florida State 24-21. It marked the first time that the pre-game sports show "College GameDay originated outside of the United States. As part of the show, the NCGAA's own Naoise Waldron taught Desmond Howard, Jess Simms and Stanford Steve the basics of hurling.

### Heinz History Center

To honor the University of Pittsburgh's 4-in-a-row NCGAA championships, the Heinz History Center included an exhibit on the University's hurling team in the entryway for the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum. The University of Pittsburgh's jersey is alongside exhibits for Pittsburgh sports legends like Andrew McCutchen and Jordan Staal.