RUGBY
At the 2023 National Collegiate Rugby Division II Men’s College 7S Championship, IUP’s powerhouse rugby team has won its second consecutive national championship, taking down North Carolina State yesterday, 12-7.
Playing in a steady rain at Boyds, Maryland, the Wolfpack took the lead in the first half on a score by Rory Illman, but IUP came back to tie it up, 7-7 late in the half after a high tackle gave the Crimson Hawks a penalty kick. At the midway point of the second half, Dalton Peluso scored to give IUP a 12-7 lead, but they missed the conversion. IUP was able to gain possession of the ball for the final 30 seconds to hold off NC State and seal the win. IUP’s Dom Holmes was named MVP.
In pool play on Friday, IUP beat Chicago, 17-5, and UNC Wilmington 15-0. They wrapped up pool play on Saturday with a 12-0 win over Georgetown. On Saturday, IUP beat Northern Iowa, 22-12, in a bracket game, then edged traditional power Norwich, 15-14, in the semifinal, setting up yesterday’s national championship game.
TENNIS
Second seeded IUP will open the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Tournament today against number seven Shaw. Because of the weather, the matches today and tomorrow have been moved from the Maple Street Courts to indoor facilities at the Greensburg Racquet Club and the Oxford Club of Wexford. Slippery Rock plays Fairmont State in the other match today.
Charleston, West Virginia is the top overall seed in the Atlantic Region. They are hosting the winner of West Liberty and West Virginia State in a condensed version of the MEC Tournament.
