BOYDS, MD - For the first time since 2023, the Susquehanna University men's rugby team is headed back to the Collegiate Rugby Championship.

Susquehanna is one of 16 institutions from around the country to qualify for the men's Division III 7s bracket. The event will be held on April 25-26 at South Germantown Recreational Park in Boyds, Maryland, near Washington D.C. 

"It is great to have qualified again for the Collegiate Rugby 7s Championships. Last spring, we were close but fell just short," head coach Jon Niles said. "That left a bitter taste after having been there for the majority of the 7s National Championships the last ten years." 

The River Hawks, seeded 8th within the east bracket, will take on top-seeded Slippery Rock in the Round of 16 at 9 a.m. Friday on Field 13. The game will be livestreamed on YouTube at this link.

"We have a tough challenge in our first match against the defending national champion Slippery Rock University," Niles said. "But, we have played them twice and in one of the games we narrowly lost 17-14, so we can compete with anyone out there. We just have to play our system and dictate pace and style of play." 

"My first year on the team, I got to watch the team get to the CRCs and compete against the best competition," added senior and team president Denis Lynch. "From then on, I knew that I wanted to be there again and compete at that level."

Susquehanna qualified for the national tournament by placing second at the Franklin & Marshall qualifier earlier this month. The River Hawks have already played Slippery Rock twice, both in losing efforts. 

The winner of the Susquehanna/Slippery Rock match will play in the quarterfinals at 1:10 p.m. Friday, again on Field 13. The semifinals will be held at 11:55 a.m. Saturday at the Maryland SoccerPlex Stadium, prior to the finals at 6:50 p.m.