June 1 - The Mid-Atlantic Rugby Conference will add fourteen new women’s programs to its Division II and Small College leagues following the addition of the Capital Conference DII teams and regional realignment of certain teams in the South Atlantic Rugby Conference (SARC).

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The former Capital Conference teams moving to MARC include:

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• American University
• College of William and Mary
• George Mason University
• George Washington University
• Longwood University
• Towson University
• University of Maryland
• Virginia Commonwealth University

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With the conference shift, the eight Capital Conference teams will also move from the Collegiate Rugby Association of America to National Collegiate Rugby (NCR).  The teams will align with NCR’s Fall 15s and Spring 7s championship pathways. American University is the defending 15s champion of the Capital Conference and is one of several teams expected to be very competitive this Fall.

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Following the Mid-Atlantic realignment, several teams will leave SARC to regionally unify the area’s DII and Small College women’s programs. The existing SARC members that will join MARC include:

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• Christopher Newport University
• Georgetown University
• Randolph Macon College
• Catholic University
• University of Richmond
• Roanoke College

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Catholic was an early adopter of the small college pathway for the region, and will now be part of a deeper Small College competition with new opportunities.

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This regional realignment will create a cohesive Mid-Atlantic competition for Division II and Small College and closely align the schools with their men's conferences playing in MARC.  Following SARC’s recent acquisition of the Carolina’s DI/DII leagues, this regional realignment is a natural progression to ensure that all clubs can form leagues locally and minimize travel.

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Working with MARC Commissioner, Jon Niles, Christopher Newport Coach, Andrew Higgs, will join the MARC leadership team to represent these new clubs.

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Commenting on realignment, Niles said “This expansion continues to align our men's and women's teams under one administrative umbrella which is something we have heard from our members and university administration. In addition, it gives our current women's teams more localized competition and a much more localized national pathway. We anticipate with these new teams that women's teams will build natural rivalries just like the men's teams in the MARC.”

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The Mid Atlantic Rugby Conference serves 75 collegiate and university rugby programs and 3,000 student athletes in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, DC. The MARC administers Men’s Division I-AA, Men’s Division II, Men’s Small College, Women’s Division II and Women’s Small College competitive rugby programs.

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