Elite Eight for Underdog Yale

For the first time, Yale Rugby have qualified for the D1AA National Championship quarter finals in Pittsburgh. The Bulldogs will play against West Virginia on the weekend of April 25-26.

After the semifinal win against Cornell, Yale faced a tough Brown side in the playoff final. In a match that could of gone either way, a final score of 18-13 means all roads lead to Pittsburgh for the Bulldogs.

With their victory in the Ivy Tournament, Yale moves on to the Round of 8 in the DIAA playoffs. The winner of the Yale-West Virginia game April 25 will play the winner of the USMMA-Central Florida game in the east region semifinals on April 26. 

Yale, seeded sixth in the Ivies, was fresh off a South American tour (Argentina and Chile) and amply demonstrated the fruits of intense conditioning under new coach Gregg McWilliams, as well as an attitude refresh described by team member Bryan Herbert as a “new age and that begins with a culture change.” 

The Ivy League play-in tournament was made necessary by league champs Dartmouth entering the Varsity Cup. Big Green lost to Navy over the weekend in Round One of the cup championship.