Men’s Rugby Club team wins national championship

UNC Charlotte’s 2018 Men’s Rugby Club team won the national championship for the Men’s Division 2 College 7s in Glendale, Colorado; the tournament was played May 18-20.

In the quarterfinals, the team defeated Principia College (26-7) and moved on to eliminate Bloomsburg University (35-12) in the semifinals. In the championship game, the team bested University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (38-10) to secure a perfect record during the tournament. In defeating UW Whitewater, the 49ers upset the reigning Division 2 Rugby 15s and 7s champions.

The national championship caps off an impressive 2018 season in which the 49ers went undefeated and won its third straight Southern Rugby Conference championship.

This team competes in “7s,” the version of the game where teams consist of seven players rather than the larger 15, which is played at the Rugby World Cup.