The Heart of America (HOA) is a Division I-AA men's college rugby conference that expanded to 12 teams for the 2025-2026 season. It operates under the College Rugby Association of America (CRAA) and is made up of schools from the middle part of the USA—Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri.
The conference plays its 15s season in the fall but enters its champion in the CRAA D1AA postseason in the spring.
In a clash of big offense vs big defense, it was the defense that prevailed as Kansas defeated Arkansas in Week 2 of Heart of America conference play.
Arkansas had put up 72 the week before, but against a tough Jayhawks defense they managed only 10, and that wasn’t enough.
A tough, physical game saw Arkansas bring out the defense too, but the one Jawhawks try was enough.
The Heart of America Conference remains one of the more competitive conferences in DIAA and certainly the conference started that way.
Iowa State held off University of Iowa 18-10 in a tense Heart of America conference game Saturday.
The Cyclones secured an early 15-0 lead but after that was under a lot of pressure from Iowa. Seeing one player get two yellow cards, and thus being shorthanded throughout the second half, didn’t help.
The Heart of American DIAA conference has settled its schedule for the fall of 2021.
The conference welcomes back Arkansas and also brings in the University of Minnesota, which moves from the Big 10.
There's a lot at stake this weekend in DIAA rugby this weekend.
Chief among these is the Chesapeake, with five teams in the hunt for playoff potential.
De La Salle HS
Saint Mary's (Rudy Scholz Finalist)
USA U20s (Captain)
USA Men's National 15s Team (Debut vs Georgia 2023 at age 20)
As a 17-year-old Spencer Huntley required a waiver to play for the USA U20s, an indication of how he was rated in the USA age-grade pathway. He got that waiver and impressed for the USA U20s, and then moved up to the USA U23s. He led the San Diego Mustangs to a national HS Club championship in 2024.
He also played in the SoCal single-school league for Cathedral Catholic.
Hope Rogers began playing rugby at age 16 in high school and continued to compete during her time at Penn State University. There, she won four National Championships, was crowned MVP on two occasions, was named to the USA Under-20s and earned Collegiate All-American honors for four years. Rogers was also an impressive discus player during her senior year in high school where she broke a school record and won Gold at Districts for the sport.
Mike played for Life College, Philly-Whitemarsh and played for the USA National 7s and 15s teams in the 1980s and 1990s.
He was also part of the Atlantis touring side, playing 7s for the team in several around the world.
