KUTZTOWN, Pa. -- A special run through the Premier Cup bracket saw Kutztown University men's rugby hoisting the trophy as first-time national champions a year ago. The Golden Bears are back for more, looking to retain their title as National Collegiate Rugby's (NCR) Collegiate Rugby Championship National 7s get underway Friday at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds, Md.

For nearly a decade CRCs were essentially in Kutztown's backyard, being held in Chester, Pa., from 2011-19. The Golden Bears made two finals appearances during that time, finishing runner-up to Cal in 2014 and 2015. When the tournament resumed in 2021 after a one-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the entire operation shifted south to New Orleans, but KU didn't compete due to the pandemic. That only fueled the hunger that led to last year's vengeance tour in NOLA.

Kutztown bulldozed its way through Maryland (31-0), Iowa State (43-0) and Penn State (59-14) on its way to the national semifinals before knocking out three-time defending champ Lindenwood in an overtime thriller, 24-19. The Maroon and Gold claimed their maiden title with a tense 17-12 victory over Dartmouth, ending the season on a 21-match winning streak.

Head coach Dr. Gregg A. Jones has been tweaking his lineup throughout the spring 7s season in hopes of rekindling that magical combination. Kutztown opened the 7s season with a runner-up finish to Brown at the Frostbite Tournament in Landisville, Pa., before heading to Maryland's Terrapins 7s, where they won 3-of-4.

The Golden Bears punched their ticket to CRCs by winning the Bermuda 7s in dominant fashion. They posted three shutouts in victories over Vanderbilt (58-0), Harvard (48-0) and Stony Brook (43-0), while also toppling the Mystic Collegiates twice on their way to the championship. Kutztown avenged a 12-7 loss to Brown in the Frostbite finals by besting their fellow Bears 22-7 in the Bermuda finale.

KU looked to be in fine form again in late March, taking their game north to the Monumental 7s CRC Qualifier in Quincy, Mass. The Bears blanked Merrimack, 63-0, and Northeastern, 35-0, to reach the semifinals before running into a game St. Bonaventure side in the semis. The Bonnies, challengers at this weekend's national tournament, emerged with a 24-12 victory.

Tournaments at Mary Washington, Kutztown (cut short due to storms) and Ohio State filled the remainder of Kutztown's spring 7s regular season.

Kutztown claimed the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region of the Premier Cup bracket and will face No. 8 Nazareth in the first round at 1:46 p.m. Friday. All first round matches in the 32-team knockout bracket will be played Friday, with the remainder of the tournament scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. The victor of Kutztown/Nazareth will face the No. 4 South Carolina/No. 5 Northeastern winner in the second round. If KU takes care of business, a potential matchup with No. 2 St. Bonaventure looms in the quarterfinals.

At the top of the bracket in the West Region, Indiana is the No. 1 seed with Brown the No. 2. Last year's national runner-up, Dartmouth, is the fourth seed in that region. Wheeling (East) and Notre Dame College (South) are the other No. 1 seeds on the opposite side of the bracket. Annual contender Lindenwood is not attending this year's tournament, instead opting to play in USA Rugby's College Rugby Association of America (CRAA) 7s Championship next month.

The 16 teams not advancing out of the first round of the Permier Cup will drop down to the Survivor Bowl. Eight first round losers in the Survivor Bowl drop down to the Challenge Shield. Second round Premier Cup losers go into the Contender Plate bracket. Teams will play for spots 1-4 in each bracket: Premier Cup, Survivor Bowl, Contender Plate and Challenge Shield.

The championship pedigree and pressure that comes with knockout format tournaments should be an ace up Kutztown's sleeve. The team announced its official roster Thursday evening and its filled with holdovers from last year's title team, including 2022 CRC Tournament MVP Mate Kvirikashvili (Kutaisi, Georgia/Monroe Woodbury (N.Y.)), P.J. O'Reilly (Springfield, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara), Aidan Smith (Trumbull, Conn./Trumbull), Brock Stinson (Colorado Springs, Colo./Coronado), Christian Tanner (Crescent, Pa./Moon Area) and Cameron Thurtell (London, England/Pearson Edexcel).

With the tournament just over three hours from campus, expect the Kutztown supporters to be back out in full force like they regularly were when the tournament was in Chester. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at the link above.

All matches this weekend will be streamed through NCR's YouTube account. Some matches will be simulcast by The Rugby Network. CLICK HERE for the link to NCR's CRC streaming gateway. The link provides ease of streaming to all different fields. Kutztown opens Premier Cup play at 1:46 p.m. Friday on the stadium field against Nazareth. The Rugby Network and NCR YouTube will carry that match. Follow the linked weekend schedule for subsequent game times, opponents and field locations to locate the proper stream.


KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY MEN'S RUGBY CRC NATIONAL 7s LINEUP
1. Christian Tanner (Crescent, Pa./Moon Area)
2. Lasha Asanidze (Tbilisi, Georgia/Blackrock College)
5. Rowan Sierra (Hartford, Conn./Conard)
6. Cameron Thurtell (London, England/Pearson Edexcel)
7. Mate Kvirikashvili (Kutaisi, Georgia/Monroe Woodbury (N.Y.))
8. Augustus Dellinger (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg)
9. Alex Richard (Somerset, England/Millfield)
10. Benedict Quinn (York, England/St Peter's School)
11. Colin Warner (West Chester, Pa./West Chester East)
12. P.J. O'Reilly (Springfield, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara)
13. Brock Stinson (Colorado Springs, Colo./Coronado)
14. Aidan Smith (Trumbull, Conn./Trumbull)
20. Archie Grayson (Bristol, England/Clifton College)
21. Tiave Watts (Eagle, Idaho/St. James Academy)
22. Mike Greene (New York, N.Y./Columbia Secondary School)

RUN WITH THE BEARS!