Men’s NCR Division I (D1) is a top-tier collegiate rugby division organized by National Collegiate Rugby (NCR), featuring the most competitive and well-developed university programs across the country. Membership is based on rugby performance and program strength rather than school size, allowing both large public universities and smaller private institutions to compete at this level. Teams in D1 play regionally during the regular season and advance to national playoffs to determine the champion. The division represents the highest standard of competition within NCR’s collegiate structure, showcasing elite play and program excellence.
ARC Teams Dominate NCR D1 Playoffs; Here's Why
Overall through the NCR Men's D1 playoffs, ARC teams are 8-1.
And that one loss? To another ARC team. All four semifinalists slated to play the weekend of December 6 are from the same conference.
A day after St. Bonaventure surprised everyone with a lopsided win over Brown, Walsh beat Marian in a tight one, Belmont Abbey beat Notre Dame, and Queens beat Wheeling.
St. Bonaventure Makes Massive Statement in Win Over Brown
In something of a shock result, St. Bonaventure won handily over #1-ranked Brown 51-7 in NCR's D1 quarterfinals.
Bonnies winning wasn't the shock—it was in the cards, certainly—but winning by 44 was not expected.
But Head Coach Danny Neighbour had faith.
Men NCR D1 Rankings Week 12 2025
Four big games directed our rankings here.
But it's not just that. After we bumped up Belmont Abbey earlier, we dropped them down again due to their big loss to Walsh. Well, as it turned out they fielded a different lineup. OK, fine, we might have dropped them down regardless, but maybe not five spots.
Oddly, back they go to #10.
NCR Men's College Brackets Set
With Sunday's matches wrapped up we know who is in the Round of 8 or Round of 16 in NCR's D1, D1AA, D2, and D3.
D1
With St. Bonaventure beating Southern Nazarene on Sunday we have the final eight for this division:
St. Bonaventure (ranked #3 by GRR) vs Brown (#1)
Marian (#6) vs Walsh (#5)
Notre Dame (#7) vs Belmont Abbey (#15)
Queens (#2) vs Wheeling (#11)
St. Bonaventure Over SNU on a Wintry Sunday
St. Bonaventure defeated Southern Nazarene Sunday in driving snow and sleet to take the final play-in of the NCR D1 postseason and make it a 4-for-4 weekend for teams from the Atlantic Rugby Conference.
