Defending champion Endicott is among the favorites to win the 16-team Women’s Small College bracket. The Gulls went undefeated to claim a national championship in Maryland last year, and they’re 8-5 this spring, with most of their losses coming against opponents from higher divisions. First-year Colleen Mitchell led the Gulls to their third-straight Colonial Coast title April 14, scoring six tries in the conference tournament. 

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Niagara University won an early qualifier under the tutelage of first-year head coach Dave Chapman and behind the leadership of senior Meegan White, a three-time conference all-star and captain who will be commissioning into the Army as a Field Artillery Officer upon graduation this spring.

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South Dakota has also qualified under a new head coach in Trixie Jo Shetler, a former Small College All Star. The Coyotes are led on the field by Small College All-Star All-Tournament selection Marina Street. 

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Siena, champions of the Tri-State, and Western Oregon, who won their first qualifier in program history, are both making their CRC debuts. So is Christopher Newport, which recently started as a program in 2021 and is led by senior flyhalf Erin Sample. 

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Missouri Science & Technology is making its second-straight CRC appearance, having won an increasingly competitive Mid-America Conference. Only two Miners came to the team with prior rugby experience; the rest have been taught the game in Rolla, MO by coach Dan Boyd. All but two are from the state of Missouri. 

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The two opening rounds of the Women’s Small College bracket will be played Saturday and streamed live on National Collegiate Rugby’s YouTube, with the semifinals (11:40 and 12:00 EST) and finals (3:51 EST) set for Sunday live on The Rugby Network.  

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