GRR: NCRC
THe stage is set for one of the first college 7s tournaments of the season, with Western Washington University hosting the WWU 7s Sunday in Bellingham, Wash.
Nine teams will compete in the competition, which has a fairly simple format that guarantees all teams four games.
Some changes and one major realignment mark the 2016-17 season for DIAA Men's College rugby - here's a look at the conferences and what changes we're expecting.
Of all the teams in the DIAA playoffs, perhaps the most enigmatic is Utah State.
The Aggies have beaten all DIAA-level opponents this winter/spring, playing teams such as Montana State, Bouse State, and Weber State. They don't have a league to play in, but Coach Oisin Tong said they have been challenging games nonetheless.
The University of Washington unseated Western Washington 18-13 Saturday in front of a large crowd in Bellingham to win the Northwest Collegiate Rugby Conference championship and book a spot in the DIAA national playoffs.
The Northwest Collegiate Rugby Conference championship will be decided Saturday as Western Washington hosts the University of Washington.
These two teams have already met, when on March 5 Western came away with a 26-17 victory. Aside from a loss to Gonzaga when they played two away games in two days, that was the closest result for WWU in conference play.