Fierce Fight for Top Spot in Rugby East

The competition doesn’t get any fiercer than in the Rugby East Conference, where some of the best teams in the nation go head-to-head. Last weekend did not disappoint, with an epic Penn State-Kutztown game that saw the Nittany Lions roar back late in the second half to within 8 points, but fail to catch the Bears.

The win means #3-ranked Kutztown shares the top spot in the standings with #5 Army. The two teams meet this weekend in West Point to determine the REC champion.

Whatever happens, Kutztown is guaranteed to finish in the top two. Even if they lose to Kutztown, Army secures a second-place spot if they beat Wheeling Jesuit on Nov. 8. Wheeling Jesuit can capture second place If Army falls to Kutztown and they beat the Black Knights and Penn State.

According to league commissioner Clarence Picard, there’s even a way for Penn State to finish second: “… if they beat Wheeling, Kutztown beats Army, Wheeling beats Army, and Wheeling loses to Buffalo. Now that would be an interesting chain of events.”

From the REC, Kutztown, Army and Iona will be attending the ACRC Bowl Series, Nov. 21-22 in Charlotte, NC.

REC weekend matchups

Kutztown @ Army

The Rugby East Conference champion will be crowned this weekend as Army and Kutztown, both currently 4-0 in the conference, meet at the Anderson Rugby Complex in West Point.

Wheeling Jesuit @ Penn State

Penn State will try to bounce back from a tough loss to Kutztown as Wheeling Jesuit comes to town.

Buffalo @ St. Bonaventure

St. Bonaventure hosts the University at Buffalo under the lights this Saturday.

Iona @ Albany

Fresh off a win over St. Bonaventure, Iona plays a non-league game against the University of Albany from the ECRC Conference.

About the ACRC Bowl Series

High-level collegiate rugby competition comes to Charlotte, N.C. Nov. 21-22, 2014 with the inaugural American Collegiate Rugby Championship Bowl Series. This series of matches in traditional bowl format brings the very best college rugby teams from around the country to Charlotte’s Rugby Athletic Center, a sports and events venue located just three miles from downtown.

The ACRC Bowl Series will feature eight championship bowl games over two days. The champions and runner-ups have been selected to compete from the Atlantic Coast Rugby Conference, the East Coast Rugby Conference, the Empire Rugby Conference, the Keystone Rugby Conference, the Mid American Rugby Conference, the Rugby East Conference, the Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference, and the Southwest Collegiate Rugby Conference.

The tournament is managed by URugby, a division of Sevens Sports LLC, a sports event management and marketing company specializing in creating great experiences around the sport of rugby.

Competition gets underway under the lights Friday evening Nov. 21, and heats up Saturday as the best college teams in the nation take to the pitch to compete for hardware and glory.