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D1 College Rugby Gets Going This Weekend

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D1 College Rugby Gets Going This Weekend

Marian and Iowa Central clash in a conference game. Paul Decoursey photo.

Several men's D1 college teams are getting on the field this Labor Day Weekend.

We have a closer look at Notre Dame at Ohio State here, and also at the first-ever game for Trine.

We see the opening games for a couple of teams with new coaches. Kyle Sumsion opens his account at Dartmouth with the return of their annual clash with Bishop's University in Ontario. The former Eagle came to Hanover after being the assistant coach at Army. Sumsion has signed on Dom Wareing as an assistant.

"Dom brings a ton of experience that will push the Dartmouth Rugby team forward both on and off the pitch," said Sumsion. The Head Coach acknowledges that his side has graduated some really special players, but they are also feeling pretty good about things.

"We are excited to start our season up at Bishop's and rebuild the longstanding tradition of playing one another," said Sumsion. "We are also excited to join the Liberty Conference with Brown and Harvard and the new competition that it brings. All the graduating members of the team have entered the public and private sectors and they are great leaders and men who will add so much value to the organizations and businesses they've joined. 

"As a program we started our pre-season on August 28. The team has some exciting incoming players, some great leadership, and the entire team is all stepping up to fill the shoes of those that graduated. As a team we are so excited for the year ahead and the opportunity we have to write the 71st chapter of the Dartmouth Rugby Football Club and leave the jersey in a better place."


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Meanwhile, Indiana is at Kansas. IU signed on Luke Gross as Head Coach, and while Gross has some things to wrap up in Colorado, he's been in direct contact with the Hoosier players and said he was very impressed with the dedication of that group. 

"They're a good group of boys and they know I am in it for the long term so we've got a good relationship going," Gross told Goff Rugby Report. 

A forward his entire career, Gross will certainly bring a lot of understanding of the set piece and work around the breakdown to his position. But it's worth noting that he has been coaching for years, with the USA setups and also with the American Raptors and the setup in Glendale, Colo.

"I have nothing but good things to say about the people in Glendale and what I learned," he said. "But the chance to go back home to Indiana and coach at IU was just such a great opportunity."

Also keep an eye on Illinois at Iowa, another Big Ten-HOA crossover match, and Western Michigan at Michigan. The Wolverines got a nice start last week and will look to build on that. WMU's longtime Head Coach Mark Allen has moved into a DOR role and Sandy Slevatz and Ata Malifa will be coaching the team day-to-day.

Wheeling is at Queens in another game worth a closer look. This is another new step for Queens as they play in the Rugby East. Wheeling, for their part, are looking at this season as a return to national prominence. Some real head-turning athletes return to the West Virginia school, which will compete in the Big Rivers Conference in NCR.

"We're very excited to get into the season," said Head Coach Mike Geibel. "The Big Rivers (Rugby) Conference is going to be a big test every week. The guys have been working hard over the summer and have come back to campus for and ready to play. We just want to keep getting better each week and give ourselves the best opportunity for a deep playoff run." 

Speaking of the Big Rivers, there's a conference game on the slate with Marian taking on Iowa Central. While Iowa Central already played a game, and won, Marian opens up with a conference game right out of the bat. Head Coach John Harley's Knights are pretty young—38 freshmen and sophomores in a roster of 50 and exactly one senior—he has a really nice mix of players who have a healthy chip on their shoulder.

Check back for scores.

8/31 Glasgow Caledonian 26-21 Western Washington Non-Conference
9/2 Fairfield  52-13 Buffalo Non-Conference
9/2 UMass 12-21 Iona Non-Conference
9/2 U. Notre Dame 14-39 Ohio State Big 10
9/3 Wheeling 19-22 Queens Non-Conference
9/3 Kentucky 24-15 IUPUI Non-Conference
9/3 Marian 19-34 Iowa Central CC Big Rivers
9/3 James Madison 10-39 Virginia Tech Non-Conference
9/3 Adrian 33-0 Michigan State Non-Conference
9/3 Binghamton 17-29 Syracuse Non-Conference
9/3 Western Michigan 44-15 Michigan Non-Conference
9/3 Purdue 63-0 Trine Non-Conference
9/3 Indiana 82-7 Kansas Non-Conference
9/3 Illinois 52-10 Iowa Non-Conference
9/3 Citadel 0-88 Navy Non-Conference
9/3 Bowling Green 67-0 West Virginia Non-Conference
9/4 Dartmouth 0-0 Concordia Non-Conference
9/4 Dartmouth 14-7 McGill Non-Conference
9/4 Dartmouth 12-7 Sherbrooke Non-Conference
9/4 Dartmouth 5-10 Concordia Non-Conference