Mid-Atlantic Rugby Conference

The 2018 MARC Fall 15's Season is almost here! In the next few weeks teams will be returning to campus and getting their seasons underway.  It was certainly an exciting season last fall across all divisions and this season surely won't disappoint.  Let's take a DIVISION by DIVISION look at the upcoming season. 

WOMEN:

The MARC Women’s Conference is proud to offer top quality women’s rugby. Its mission is to grow the sport, encourage women to play, instill the values of rugby to all players and members. It does this by focusing on the Women’s Teams and players, promoting respectful play, and supporting the dedicated coaches, colleges, and players that make up the MARC. The DII and NSCRO Women’s Teams are supported by the dedicated members of the MARC Board and includes the financial support for hosting or travelling to Regional, and National Tournaments.

The MARC’s Women Conference is divided into the Cup and the Challenge Divisions. The Cup is a Hybrid Division made up of nine DII and NSCRO Teams. Some of the teams include perennial national contenders in DII such as Kutztown, and Bloomsburg, and NSCRO National Contender York College of PA, currently ranked 3rd Nationally in the NSCRO. Other top teams in the division are Rowan, ESU, and Scranton. The Cup Division offers a direct pathway to MARC, Regional, and National Playoffs.

The Challenge Division is also a Hybrid Division and consists of new and developing teams, along with teams that are rebuilding. It allows teams to play in 15, 10, or 7 aside matches and keep competing as they develop their club. It also allows for a team that qualifies to challenge up and compete at the MARC Playoffs to earn a spot for a regional or national championship competition.

The MARC Women’s Conference would like to welcome Marywood University Women’s Rugby and Shippensburg Women’s Rugby into the MARC and wish them the best of luck and success for the 2018-2019 Season.

MEN:

D1AA: 

The D1AA division changed up their format this year in that every team will play each other once. At the end of divisional play, the 1st place team and 2nd place team will square off on November 3rd for the MARC D1AA Fall 15's Championship and the right to represent the MARC at USA Rugby Nationals. The MARC D1AA will feature 7 teams this year as Villanova decided to drop down to Division 2.  All D1AA teams have a chance to be the top dog at the end of the season as all teams are extremely competitive. 

Saint Joseph's has to be the favorite out of the gate after winning the Conference last year.  Expect big things from Rowan University who was last year's runner up and West Chester University which has been a program steadily on the rise.  Temple always plays tough, always.  With Carson Delaney heading into his second year with the Owls and brothers Damion and Justin Nsiah on the rise, the Owls can make a run for that top spot.  Out in the western side of D1AA, IUP showed they could play at this level after making the jump up from D2 last year. Look for them to build on their successes.  West Virginia University and the University of Pittsburgh both had younger teams last year and will look to find their stride this season as their teams continue to develop.   

D2:

Both MARC Men's Division 2 East and West will kick-off their season on September 8th.  

In the western division, the league kicks off with a match up between two 2017 semi-finalist in University of Scranton and York College. There is no doubt both teams will be up for this potential playoff match up. The final west teams of Millersville, Slippery Rock and defending champions Bloomsburg will be on the pitch September 15th. Although Bloomsburg has lost a couple players due to graduation they will still be a favorite to hoist up the trophy come early November. They will look for an impact from 7s All American Marcus Morrison. His speed and power will be haunting defenders all season long.

The East kicks off with recently promoted Moravian College and long-time D2 contender East Stroudsburg University. In the final match of the weekend we see the return to D2 in Villanova University, who will face off against a familiar foe of Lehigh University. The remaining East team of Drexel University will kick off their season on September 22nd. With a group of young flyers, they hope to use their speed to propel themselves into playoff contention.

We can bet come early November the MARC D2 will be crowning its best. As it stands this is a 10 team race starting on September 8th.

NSCRO:

Gold

The MARC NSCRO Gold Division is another competitive division within the Conference. Last year Susquehanna finished at the top and will look to duplicate that same success this year.  Bucknell is always a contender and keep an eye on Neumann University which is another club on the rise. 

Silver North

The MARC NSCRO Silver North division is surely a toss-up on who will win it.  Lafayette College has moved down from D2 and Gettysburg joined the MARC during the summer. Marywood is another team to join the Conference and will have the backing of their athletic department as a Varsity sport.  Juniata played well last season and the St. Joseph's team can be dangerous with some young talent. Take your pick! 

Silver South

The MARC NSCRO Silver South division will feature last year's Champion, Haverford College. Haverford should be the favorite to start the season.  Washington and DeSales have potential to dethrone Haverford while Temple and Rowan can push for the top spot with their young talent. 

FALL 7s

This year’s Fall 7s sees the addition of Ursinus College and Lock Haven University. Last year’s Fall 7s champion, King’s College, returns with a strong roster of returning players and is looking to defend their title. This year’s series promises to be the most competitive ever with a slightly altered format and more competitive teams in the division. While Holy Family University and Ursinus had very strong showings in the Spring, and Swarthmore College is looking at an increase in player numbers, it is the addition of the D2 powerhouse Lock Haven that promises to make for an exciting and long season where no team can afford to lose a single 7s game!