The National Intercollegiate Rugby Association has some warmup work to do but the D1 season gets going in earnest in a little over a week.
With the addition of Navy and Queens into D1 the top level of the competition is as competitive as ever.
Meanwhile, DII has that triumvirate of West Chester, Davenport, and AIC who have all been in finals in the last couple of years. And all of them are looking over their shoulders at Lander, which has brought in an impressive freshman class and is building very nicely.
Division 1
The D1 season starts September 2 and it's a buzzsaw of a season limited only by geography—Queens is in but their travel will be somewhat limited. Everyone expects Mount St. Mary's to improve. Everyone expected Princeton to improve. Meanwhile Navy, which capped off their CRAA history with a championship last fall, will bring everything to the table. Is Dartmouth going to ease off a little since the veterans that led them to three straight championships have graduated? Possibly, but it would be naive to think they don't have depth.
Will the young talent that helped vault Harvard to the final in 2022 come in more seasoned and ready to win it all? Certainly they can. With a little bit of senior leadership and a lot of young talent—their sophomore class really is exceptional—the Crimson could do a lot of damage this year.
Army, so close so many times, is also young and they are athletic and could once again challenge for the title.
Sacred Heart emerged as perhaps the most improved team of the division. Brown was right there and those two meet September 9 in a game that could mean a lot. Quinnipiac has nine freshman who are all team captains, team MVPs, and major select-side or national age-grade candidates. Add to that a lot of senior leadership (nine seniors and one grad student) they might be poised to strike.