by admin

Sad News

To: The Tri-State Conference Teams
Re: Tragic loss of life
 
Today, January 25th, 2024 Caleb Persanis of SUNY-New Paltz contacted the Tri-State Conference to inform us of the tragic passing of his teammate Raymond E. Rattray. 
 
Caleb writes, “Raymond was a beloved member of New Paltz Rugby Football Club. He joined the team in the Fall of 2023 and went on to play prop for us on the field. Off the field Ray was one of the greatest men I have ever played with, he had the most admirable love for the game. It was a common sight to see him running laps at the field half an hour before practice! He enjoyed every second of practice, our games, and life.” 
 
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Raymond’s family and friends at this most difficult of times.
 
Press Report
 
NEW PALTZ, N.Y. — A 22-year-old SUNY New Paltz senior was killed on Tuesday in a hit-and-run on state Route 208 near campus, the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office said late Wednesday.

The Sheriff’s Office said the student killed in the “fatal car versus pedestrian accident” was Raymond E. Rattray, 22, of New York City.

In a letter to members of the college community, college president Darrell P. Wheeler said Rattray was a philosophy major in the school’s Educational Opportunity Program and a member of the Men’s Rugby Club.

“We extend our deepest sympathy to Raymond’s family and friends and to the faculty and staff who had the privilege to know him,” Wheeler said in the letter.

Police said they determined through an investigation that on Tuesday, Jan. 23 at approximately 5:11 p.m., Rattray, “was walking home from class on Route 208 on the shoulder of the south bound lane and was struck by a dark colored sedan traveling south.” Police said that the “vehicle fled the scene” but that it “sustained damage to the front-end on the passenger side.”

At around 1:16 p.m. on Wednesday deputies responded to state Route 208 between the area of Hawk Drive and Cross Creek Road “for the report of a deceased subject found on the side of the road,” police said. The area is near the SUNY New Paltz campus. “When deputies arrived, they located a deceased male in a wooded area approximately 20 feet from the road,” police said in a news release.

Police had announced the closure of Route 208 at around 5 p.m. on Wednesday, and the reopening at around 8 p.m.

The Ulster County Sheriff’s Office is being assisted by the New York State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit, New York State Police BCI, the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office, SUNY New Paltz Police and the Town of New Paltz Police Department, the release said.

New Paltz students who need assistance “in processing this sad loss” may contact the SUNY New Paltz Counseling Center at (845) 257-2920. College employees may contact the Employee Assistance Program at (845) 257-2886, Wheeler said.

The investigation remains open and active, police said, asking “anyone who may have witnessed this accident or has information about this accident” to call a Sheriff’s Office detective at (845) 338-3640 or call the confidential tip line at (845) 340-3599.

Rattray is the second college student killed in a hit-and-run car crash this month in Ulster County.

Sincerely,
 
Tony Brown

tobrown@vassar.edu

(845) 380-9052
t​ristaterugby.com
by admin

Beast weekend changed and AGM reminder

To: All Tri-State Conference Teams
Re: Beast of the East Tournament, Portsmouth, RI 2024 & our AGM
 
Beast of the East 2024
It has been brought to my attention that the Beast of the East Tournament this year will be held on the final weekend in April and not it’s traditional third weekend.
So, it will be held on Saturday & Sunday, April 27th & 28th, 2024.
You can check and verify this on Friday by going to the Beast of the East website at: https://beastoftheeast.net/
 
Reminder:
Tri-State Conference Annual General Meeting 
The Conference AGM will be held on
Sunday, January 28th, 2024 at Fairfield University in Fairfield, CT starting at 12:00 noon in Nursing Hall 103.
Every team must send a representative who is empowered to vote.
 
Please feel free to send in agenda items.
 
Sincerely,
 
Tony Brown

tobrown@vassar.edu

(845) 380-9052
by admin

CRC 7s Qualification 2024

To: All Tri-State Teams
Re: CRC 7s Qualification – Spring 2024
 
Please see the pathways for the CRC 7s Championships this Spring.
 
The Tri-State Conference 7s Championships 2024 will be structured as follows:
 
Men – A Small College bracket. The winner will advance to the CRC event. (USMMA is the only DII Men’s program so it will need to attend a Qualifier Tournament to attempt to qualify.)
 
Women – A Division II bracket and a Small College bracket – the winner of each will advance to the CRC event.
DII Teams: Columbia, Fairfield, Marist, Vassar, Rensselaer, Stony Brook, Montclair, Rutgers, TCNJ & Fordham.
Small College Teams: Hofstra, Molloy, Maritime, Drew, New Paltz & Siena.
 
Teams should note that there are just a few At-Large slots so there is an outside chance of a runner-up getting an opportunity.
———- Forwarded message ———
From: Pat Clifton <sevens@ncr.rugby>
Date: Tue, Nov 28, 2023 at 7:45 PM
Subject: CRC Qualification
Commissioners and coaches, 

 
Hope the holidays are treating you well. I wanted to check in regarding the spring 7s calendar and qualification pathways to the Collegiate Rugby Championship, April 26-28, 2024 at the Maryland Soccerplex in Boyds, MD. All of this will eventually be on the website after our team gets through the 15s championships. But I know there are lots of teams planning now, and you all need to be planning your 7s conference championships if you haven’t been already, so I wanted to arm you with the information to do that. Apologies for the cumbersome email.  
 
We have a couple of significant changes this year, one being the men will play Friday and Saturday ONLY, and the women will play Saturday and Sunday ONLY. Another big change is streamlining the size and nature of our divisions. The Men’s Premier Cup will remain 32 teams, and every other division will now be a 16-team bracket, a la the Women’s Premier Cup. We think this aligned competitive structure will make for a better overall experience for everyone and be much easier to follow.
 
As announced earlier this month, the qualification pathways are set. Below is the list of each conference with an AQ bid by division. Please plan to crown your conference champion by no later than Sunday April 14, 2024, as that is the deadline. Please submit your conference championship information to this form by Friday January 12th. 
 
That form is also where ALL tournaments should be submitted to get onto the NCR Master Schedule. When it comes down to deciding those at-large bids, the selection committee will ONLY consider tournaments on the NCR Master Schedule. So please share this link with your teams so they can make sure all their results count.  
 
Please do not hesitate to hit me with any questions or clarifications whatsoever.  
 
Women’s Premier Cup AQ Conferences (All other bids are at-large)
Big Ten
Midwest
SARC
Rugby Northeast

Women’s D1AA AQ Conferences (All other bids are at-large)
Allegheny/Upstate
Big Ten
Lonestar
Midwest
SARC

Women’s D2 AQ Conferences (All other bids are at-large)
Allegheny
Great Lakes
Great Waters/Northern Lights
Lonestar
MARC
Mid-America
NEWCRC
Ohio Valley
High Peaks
Rugby Northeast
SARC
Tri-State
Upstate New York

Women’s Small College AQ Conferences (All other bids are at-large)
Allegheny
Colonial Coast
EPRU
Great Lakes
Great Waters/Northern Lights
MARC
Mid-America
NEWCRC
Ohio Valley
Prairie States
Rugby Northeast
SARC
Tri-State
Upstate New York

 
Men’s Premier Cup AQ Conferences
Big Rivers
Big Ten
Rugby East
Liberty
SCRC
 
Men’s Premier Open Qualifiers
Sunshine 7s February 24 Confirmed Men’s University of Florida Gainesville, FL drbuschman@gmail.com
Frostbite 7s March 2 Confirmed Men’s Hempfield High School Lancaster, PA https://www.paclassics.org/frostbite-rugby-tournament
Crimson Storm Classic March 2 Confirmed Men’s Southern Nazarene University Bethany, OK agilliland@mail.snu.edu
Terrapins 7s March 9 Confirmed Men’s University of Maryland College Park, MD jsoeken@comcast.net
Kansas City Collegiate Invitational March 16 Confirmed Men’s KC Current Training Facility Kansas City, MO sevens@ncr.rugby
Fighting Irish Invitational March 23 Confirmed Men’s Stinson Rugby Field Notre Dame, IN https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfWVKfZdseaGKYa0-KyGpp9h8AxmvhbNfg4u7MZJuJ7LJej3w/viewform
Monumental 7s April 6 Confirmed Men’s Veterans Memorial Stadium Quincy, MA https://freejacks.com/product/2024-monumental-7s-registration/
Cherry Blossom April 13 Confirmed Men’s Liberty Sports Park Washington, D.C. http://www.washingtonrugbyclub.org/pages/CherryBlossomTournament
 
Men’s D1AA AQ Conferences (All other bids are at-large)
Liberty
MARC
Southern
Big Ten
SCRC
MAC
 
Men’s D2 AQ Conferences (All other bids are at-large)
Allegheny
Cardinals
Deep South
Gateway
Great Lakes
Great Midwest
High Peaks
Liberty
MARC
New England Wide
Northern Lights
SCRC
Southern
Tri-State
 
Men’s Small College AQ Conferences 
MARC
Allegheny
NERFU
Colonial Coast
Cardinals

Men’s Small College Open Qualifiers

Northwest Small College National Qualifier March 23 Confirmed Men’s Western Oregon University Monmouth, OR https://forms.gle/m3Quvb1p9ubZJk1DA
Calfornia Small College National Qualifier April 6 Confirmed Men’s Cal Maritime Vallejo, CA https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSce2LstXVEpR9_vQX7Y1zdzsDixplSokj4PUgSBQI8bzx8Eaw/viewform
Rockies Small College National Qualifier TBC Proposed Men’s TBC TBC TBC
Midwest-North Small College National Qualifier April 13 Confirmed Men’s Wisconsin Rugby Sports Complex Cottage Grove, WI https://form.jotform.com/233064635543051
Midwest-East Small College National Qualifier March 23 Confirmed Men’s Fortress Obetz Obetz, OH seth.r.erwin@gmail.com
Mid-Atlantic Small College National Qualifier April 6 Confirmed Men’s TBC Pittsburgh, PA seth.r.erwin@gmail.com
Southeast Small College National Qualifier April 13 Confirmed Men’s East Carolina University Greenville, N.C. jwiseman003@gmail.com
New York Small College National Qualifier April 7 Confirmed Men’s Niagara University Buffalo, NY https://forms.gle/Y3E4tRaEaSJUdcC39
New England Small College National Qualifier April 6 Confirmed Men’s TBC Boston, MA dale.russell@maine.edu

Thank you,

 
Pat Clifton
NCR 7s Director
816.506.4904
by admin

Fall 2023 Conference Winners

For Immediate Release

College Rugby

Monday November 6th, 2023

Tri-State Teams crowns Conference winners for Fall 2023

Congratulations to the Tri-State Conference Champions 2023 and to the teams that earned postseason berths and are headed to National playoffs.

WOMEN – Division II

Columbia University finished the season unbeaten and in a thriller of a final against the Vassar College Women they won 31-22 at Baker Field in New York City. Both teams head to the regional round of the National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) Championship and in addition Fairfield University gained an At-Large bid so the top 3 teams in the Tri-State advanced.

East Regional

Columbia will face the US Coast Guard Academy and if successful will then take on the University of New Hampshire or Roger Williams University.

South Regional

Vassar take on Coastal Carolina and if successful will meet either Temple or Syracuse.

Midwest

Fairfield face the defending NCR Champiions the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and if successful will play the University of Cincinnati or Grand Valley State University.

West

Illinois v Bowling Green & LSU v Colorado Mines

WOMEN – Small College

Siena College won the Tri-State Small College title and together with the runner-up Hofstra University head to regionals on November 11 & 12 for the NCR playoffs.  Siena will take on Colby College in Henniker, NH while Hofstra face Lee University in the South Regional.

MEN – Division II

USMMA, Kings Point is the Tri-State Division II Men’s Champion and they play in the first round of the NCR Playoffs against the University of Vermont this Saturday, November 11, 2023 at UVM.

MEN – Small College

Vassar College Men defeated Hofstra University 47-31 at Hofstra to take the Small College title. Vassar will compete on Saturday and Sunday November 11 & 12 against Holy Cross, SUNY-Brockport, Endicott or Roger Williams for a spot in the round of 16.  It is hoped that Vassar will host this 4 team playoff (to be confirmed). Hofstra head to Penn State-Berks for a Bowl game against the hosts Penn State-Berks on November 18th, 2023.

Let’s hope all the Tri-State Teams advance – please send your results to the Conference (tobrown@vassar.edu)

FULL PLAYOFF DETAILS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE NCR WEBSITE – ncr.rugby

by admin

TS Postseason & 7s – Fall 2023

For Immediate Release

College Rugby

Tri-State Conference Playoffs Fall 2023 & Developmental 7s Championship
 
In close games this past weekend Columbia University Women and Vassar College Women advanced to the Tri-State Conference Championship game. Columbia defeated Rutgers and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute while Vassar accounted for Stony Brook University and Fairfield University.
 
Tri-State Conference Playoffs
Women
Quarterfinals 10/28/23
Columbia University 89 v 0 Rutgers University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 27 v 14 Marist College
Fairfield University 29 v 5 Montclair State University
Vassar College 65 v 0 Stony Brook University
 
Semifinals 10/29/23
Columbia University 19 v 0 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Vassar College 27 v 12 Fairfield University
 
Final 11/5/23
11:00 am Vassar College at Columbia University – Baker Sports Complex
 
Tri-State Men & Postseason
USMMA, Kings Point advance as the Tri-State Division II Champion and will play in a first round NCR playoff game against probably the University of Vermont.
 
In Tri-State Division III semifinal action Hofstra University Men defeated Seton Hall University Men 24-12 while the Vassar College Men squeaked past SUNY-Maritime 19-17. Hofstra and Vassar will face off next weekend and then head to NCR postseason play.
 
Developmental 7s – Annandale-on- Hudson 10/28 & 10/29, 2023
 
Bard College hosted a 7s Tournament for 6 men’s teams and the final saw Drew prevail against SUNY-New Paltz. The Tri-State teams have been battling to rebuild their rosters since the Covid-19 pandemic and the loss of the 2020-21 season. Many programs have not had enough players to field 15-a-side games so the default has been 7s or 10s. Kudos to all these 6 teams for playing rugby this fall and it is hoped that come next fall everyone of them will be back to playing 15s each weekend. Special thanks to RRSNY referees David Mowen and Brian Wolf for covering all the games.
 
Results
Bard 0-29 New Paltz
Montclair State 5- 5 Oneonta
New Paltz 5- 14 Drew
Molloy 5-0 Oneonta
Drew 26- 0 Bard
Montclair 17-  0 Molloy
 
Semi finals
Drew 28- 0 Molloy
New Paltz 12- 0 Montclair State
 
Final
Drew 22- 10 New Paltz
 
by admin

Women’s Tri-State Quarterfinals

Tri-State Conference Playoffs
Quarterfinals 10/28/23
Columbia University 89 v 0 Rutgers University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 27 v 14 Marist College
Fairfield University 29 v 5 Montclair State University
Vassar College 65 v 0 Stony Brook University
 
Semifinals 10/29/23
Columbia University v Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Vassar College v Fairfield University
 
Final 11/5/23
Winners of the semifinal games
by admin

Women’s Conference Championship Matchups

For Immediate Release
 
College Rugby
 
Tri-State Conference Fall 2023 Playoffs
Poughkeepsie, NY
Sunday October 22, 2023
 
Playoff Brackets for the Conference Championship 2023.
Click on the link:
Division II
Following this weekend’s results the North Division teams are seeded 1-5 according to their regular season finish. 1. Columbia University 2. Vassar College 3. Fairfield University 4. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 5. Marist College.
 
The top 3 teams outside of the North Division are:
1. Montclair State 3-1-0 15 points
2. Stony Brook University 3-1-0 15 points
3. Rutgers University 3-2-0 14 points
Therefore, this Saturday, the Tri-State Conference Quarterfinal match-ups will be:
 
Saturday, October 28th, 2023
QF 1 Columbia University hosting Rutgers University
QF 2 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute hosting Marist College
QF 3 Fairfield University hosting Montclair State University
QF 4 Vassar College hosting Stony Brook University
 
Please contact your opponent and set the games up.
 
Sunday October 29th, 2023
Winner of QF 1 plays Winner of QF 2 (higher seed is the home team)
Winner of QF 3 plays Winner of QF 4 (higher seed is the home team)
 
Sunday October 29th, 2023
Small College Division
SF 1 Siena College host Drew University
SF 2 Hofstra University hosts Molloy College
 
Please contact your opponent and set the game up.
 
Tony Brown tobrown@vassar.edu
(845) 380-9052
​tristaterugby.com
by admin

Women’s NCR Postseason

Check the Playoffs section of this website or go to ncr.rugby for postseason details.

1. Conference Champions and Playoff Qualification: If your conference is receiving an AQ bid to any division, please connect Kelsea or myself to their best team contacts the moment they are qualified either via a points system or conference championship. The sooner we can begin teams through the eligibility check process, booking hotels, etc the better.  All teams attending Regionals will need to have an approved Player Eligibility Verification (PEV) Form available on the NCR Resources page submitted to eligibility@ncr.rugby upon qualifying to attend. Please always be sure to use the website version as it’s the most updated version. 

 
If conferences wish to submit a second team to playoffs, or teams would like to individually submit to be an at large team that is due by October 21st using this form.
 
Please review the competition structures here for all divisions – matchups with kick off times by region will be confirmed in the first week of November. 
 
2. BOAR Tournament: If your teams want to get more rugby in the late fall, apply now for a post season grant up to $750 reimbursed cost for an end of season tournament. I’ve a had few people ask if anyone else was throwing one, so don’t be shy. If you have a venue available, host something. It can be 7s, 10s, 15s, motley sides, whatever you want as long as 4 non playoff teams are in attendance we will reimburse you for awards, referees, and medical costs. We realize only so many teams can qualify for playoffs, but NCR still wants to support more minutes in November/December for all teams so rally the troops and play. 
 
3. Friday Night Rugby: Please tune in tonight for our second featured women’s match at 7:30 pm EST with a small college clash St. Bonaventure v Niagara, and our final will be in a few weeks with Purdue v Notre Dame on 10/27. It’s important that we support each other in our effort to have college rugby in front of more eyeballs turn it on, and give it a watch. 
 
4. All Stars: Big email about it went out about 2 weeks ago, but a reminder to please have your current coaching staff complete this form by Sunday 10/15 for event registration. This info is how we’re going to get the ball rolling so if you are not the best POC please forward this to whoever is going to run the program so we can be in touch. At this time, any and all inquiries regarding the event, kit, hotel links, and so on should be directed towards TC at tc@ncr.rugby. 
 
 
If you have any other questions/comments/concerns at this time please reach out to Kelsea or myself and we’ve be happy to help you with whatever. 
 
Cheers, 
 
Angela Smarto

—

Angela Smarto, M.Ed.  (she/her)

NCR Director of Women’s Rugby & DI and DII Commissioner
(c) 412-606-0087, best available after 3pm EST on weekdays