Nov 23- Arizona will return to the national spotlight this coming June, as the Wildcats have accepted an invitation to return to the Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship June 3-4 on NBC.

 

 

The Wildcats' selection marks their eighth straight year in the tournament, joining Cal, Dartmouth, Navy, Notre Dame, and Penn State as the only teams to do so. Last year, Arizona continued their strong form in recent years, reaching the Cup Semifinals for the second straight year before losing to eventual champion Cal. Last year's touranament also featured the largest attendance in the tournament's history, with over 27,000 fans attending. This was a special weekend for Arizona off the field as well, as alumni William David Sitton and Steve Gray were inducted in to the US Rugby Hall of Fame, leading to a large contingent of Wildcat fans.

 

 

Head Coach Sean Duffy and the Wildcats were honored to accept the invitation, and pointed to 2017 as a key year for the program to take the next step. "We're first off thankful to United World Sports and the Collegiate Rugby Championship for inviting us back to this year's event. They work tremendously hard to create a great atmosphere and the rise in attendance is a credit to their work" said Duffy "we bring back a large portion of last year's roster so we're hopeful that with hard work we can take the next step and bring home the Pete Dawkins Trophy." Arizona Women's Rugby has competed in the last two renditions of the tournament, and the 2017 field will soon be announced in that bracket. 

 

 

The Collegiate Rugby Championship will take place at Talen Energy Stadium, home to Major League Soccer's Philadelphia Union and feature 24 teams from around the country. Arizona is one of 16 programs invited in the first round, with the remaining teams to be announced this Spring. 

 

 

 

Official Rugby Today Press Release