Big Ten Universities

Division 1-A college rugby conference

Big Ten UniversitiesSport| Rugby Union

|

Founded| 2012 (2012)
First season| 2012
Commissioner| Tom Rooney
No. of teams| 15s: 8
7s: 9
Country| United States
Most recent
champion(s)| 15s: Ohio State (2024)
7s: Notre Dame (2025)
Most titles| 15s: Indiana (7)
7s: Wisconsin (5)
Official website| www.bigtenrugby.com

Big Ten Universities is a Division 1-A college rugby conference founded in summer 2012 by ten of the twelve schools that then made up the Big Ten Conference (which has since expanded to 18 members). The Big Ten Universities was formed to improve rugby among the Big Ten schools by capitalizing on traditional Big Ten rivalries, increasing the number of fans, attracting talented high school rugby players, and playing other regional schools, which would create more competitive matchups with traditional rivals.

Prior to 2012, most of these schools had played in the now defunct Division 1-AA Midwest conference (Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin) and the Division 1-AA Mid-Eastern conference (Indiana, Michigan State, Purdue).[1] Ohio State had played in Division 1-A in the East conference.

Organization of college rugby has been evolving since 2009, with many schools organizing into conferences similar to the traditional NCAA conferences. In November 2010, USA Rugby's college management committee set out a plan for transitioning universities to NCAA-style conferences.[2] The purpose of the realignment is for college rugby to capitalize on the marketability of major college conference rivalries.[3]

## Members

[edit]

Institution  | Location  | Enrollment  | Nickname  | Colors  | Rugby
since  | Head coach

|
|
|
|
|
|

University of Illinois | Urbana-Champaign, Illinois | 41,918[4] | Fighting Illini |     Orange & Navy  | 1963  | Joseph Rasmus
Indiana University | Bloomington, Indiana | 42,464[5] | Hoosiers |     Cream & Crimson  | 1962  | Eddie Abel
University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, Michigan | 37,197[6] | Wolverines |     Maize & Blue  | 1959 (1890)  | Christian Mentzer
Michigan State University | East Lansing, Michigan | 43,159[7] | Spartans |     Green & White  | 1964  | Tim Britain
University of Notre Dame | South Bend, Indiana | 12,809[8] | Fighting Irish |     Blue & Gold  | 1961[9] | Justin Hickey
Ohio State University | Columbus, Ohio | 66,444 (2017)[10] | Buckeyes |     Scarlet & Gray  | 1966  | Ron Bowers
Purdue University | West Lafayette, Indiana | 39,637[11] | Boilermakers |     Old Gold & Black  | 1970  | Casey Doten
University of Wisconsin | Madison, Wisconsin | 42,595[12] | Badgers |     Cardinal & White  | 1962  | Kurtis Shepherd

Notes:

* Four Big Ten members do not play rugby in Big Ten Universities:
* Conference charter members University of Iowa, University of Minnesota, and University of Nebraska compete in the D1AA Heart of America Conference.
* The University Of Minnesota left the Big 10 in 2021
* The University of Iowa left the Big 10 in 2019
* The University of Nebraska left the Big 10 in 2015
* Conference charter member Northwestern compete in NCR D2.
* Penn State, a Big Ten member since 1990, plays in the Rugby East conference of Division 1-A. Having competed in the 2011 Big Ten 7s, in 2022 Penn State rejoined the conference as a 7s member.[13]
* The two schools that joined the Big Ten in 2014, Maryland and Rutgers, respectively play in the NCR Chesapeake Rugby Conference and the Liberty Rugby Conference.
* Notre Dame joined as a full member for the 2022 season after taking part in the Spring 2022 Big Ten 7s Championship.[14]

## Results

[edit]

Season | Champion | Score | Runner Up | East Champ | West Champ | Player of the Year | Top Try Scorer | Top Points Scorer | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Spring 2013 | Wisconsin | 30–10 | Ohio State | Ohio State | Wisconsin |  | Martin Gianetti (Illinois) 12 | Lewis Shaw (Indiana) 83 | [15]
Fall 2013 | Indiana* | 58–38 | Michigan | Indiana | Michigan | Isaac Hall (Indiana) | Isaac Hall (Indiana) 7 | J. Heginbottom (Wisconsin) 64 | [16]
2014 | Wisconsin | 34–20 | Ohio State | Ohio State | Wisconsin |  |  |  | [17]
2015 | Indiana | 34–14 | Ohio State | Indiana | Wisconsin |  |  |  | [18]
2016 | Indiana | 72–19 | Ohio State | Indiana | Wisconsin |  |  |  | [19][20]
2017 | Indiana | 38–26 | Ohio State |  |  |  |  |  | [21]
2018 | Wisconsin | 20–13 | Indiana |  |  |  |  |  | [22]
2019 | Indiana | 34–7 | Ohio State |  |  | Ben Richards (Ohio State)
Case Fleck (Indiana) | Vince Carso (Ohio State)
Russell Lemaster (Indiana)
12 | Connor Forrestal (Ohio State) 89 | [23][24][25]
2020 | No competition held due to Covid-19
2021 | Ohio State | 33–29 | Indiana | Ohio State | Indiana | Vince Carso
(Ohio State) |  |  | [26][27]
2022 | Indiana | 22–20 | Ohio State | Ohio State | Indiana | Peyton Wall (Indiana) |  |  | [28][29][30]
2023 | Indiana | 55–21 | Michigan State | Michigan State | Indiana | Peyton Wall (Indiana) |  |  | [31][32]
2024 | Ohio State | 21–17 | Notre Dame | Ohio State | Indiana | Maximus Clark (Ohio State) |  |  | [33][34]

### Regular season

[edit]

Fall 2012

| Team | Record

|

Wisconsin (W)  | 5 — 0
Illinois | 4 — 1
Ohio State (E)  | 3–1–1
Indiana | 3 — 2
Michigan  | 3 — 2
Michigan State  | 2–2–1
Iowa  | 2 — 3
Minnesota  | 2 — 3
Nebraska  | 0 — 5
Purdue  | 0 — 5

Notes:

* Bold means qualified for playoffs
* (E) and (W) identify division champions
* Indiana's Fall 2014 Team penalized for eligibility misconduct[35][36]

Fall 2013

| Team | Record

|

Indiana (E)  | 6 — 0
Michigan (W)  | 5 — 1
Wisconsin  | 5 — 1
Ohio State  | 3 — 3
Minnesota  | 3 — 3
Illinois  | 3 — 3
Michigan State  | 2 — 4
Iowa  | 0 — 6
Purdue  | 0 — 6

2014

| Team | Record

|

Indiana  | 6 — 0
Wisconsin (W)  | 5 — 1
Ohio State (E)  | 4 — 2
Michigan | 4 — 2
Iowa | 4 — 2
Minnesota  | 3 — 3
Michigan State  | 2 — 4
Illinois  | 1 — 5
Purdue  | 1 — 5
Nebraska  | 0 — 6

2021

| Team | Record[37]

|

Indiana (W) | 6 — 0
Ohio State (E) | 5 — 1
Michigan State | 4 — 2
Illinois | 3 — 3
Michigan | 2 — 4
Purdue | 1 — 5
Wisconsin | 0 — 6

2022

| Team | Record[38]

|

Indiana (W) | 5 — 0
Ohio State (E) | 4 — 1
Notre Dame | 4 — 1
Illinois | 3 — 2
Wisconsin | 3 — 2
Michigan State | 2 — 3
Michigan | 1 — 4
Purdue | 0 — 5

2023

| Team | Record[39]

|

Indiana (W) | 4 — 0
Ohio State (E) | 3 — 1
Michigan State | 2 — 0
Michigan | 1 — 4
Illinois | 1 — 1
Wisconsin | 1 — 1
Purdue | 1 — 2
Notre Dame | 0 — 3

2024

Team | Record[40]

|

Notre Dame  (E) | 3 — 0
Indiana (W) | 3 — 0
Ohio State | 2 — 1
Wisconsin | 2 — 1
Illinois | 1 — 2
Michigan State | 1 — 1
Michigan | 0 — 3
Purdue | 0 — 3

## Big Ten 7s

[edit]

The Big Ten schools have formed the Big Ten 7s tournament. The Big Ten tournament features a round of pool play, followed by knockout play. The winner of the Big Ten 7s earns an automatic berth to the USA Rugby Sevens Collegiate National Championships and to the Collegiate Rugby Championship.

The inaugural Big Ten tournament was held August 2011, and hosted by Wisconsin.[41] Wisconsin and Penn State dominated, each winning its respective pool and advancing in knockout play to the finals, where Wisconsin defeated Penn State 21-14.[41] Wisconsin's victory at the 2011 Big Ten 7s earned it the right to compete for the national championship at the 2011 USA Rugby Sevens Collegiate National Championships.[42]

Year | Location | Champion | Final score | Runner Up | Third | Tournament MVP | Leading Try Scorer | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Aug 27, 2011 | Madison, WI | Wisconsin | 21–14 | Penn State | Iowa | Ben Knight (Wisconsin) | — | [41]
Nov 10, 2012 | Columbus, OH | Wisconsin | 33–14 | Penn State | Ohio State | Tom Hemmings (Wisconsin) | Blaze Feury (Penn St)
John Ryberg (Iowa)
7 | [43]
Apr 14, 2013 |  | Wisconsin | — |  |  | Tom Hemmings (Wisconsin) |  |
Apr 19, 2014 | Columbus, IN | Ohio State | 29–12 | Iowa |  | Taylor Young (Iowa) |  |
Apr 18, 2015 | Ann Arbor, MI | Indiana |  | Illinois |  | Bryce Campbell (Indiana) |  | [44]
Apr 2–16, 2016 | Columbus, OH
| Wisconsin | — | Michigan |  |  |  | [45][46]
2017 | Columbus, OH | Ohio State |  | Wisconsin | Michigan |  |  | [47][48]
Apr 28, 2018 | Madison, WI | Wisconsin | 26–5 | Ohio State |  |  |  | [49]
2019 |  | Ohio State | 31–17 | Minnesota |  |  |  |
Apr 2–16, 2022 | Champaign, IL
West Lafayette, IN
Ann Arbor, MI | Indiana | — |  | Notre Dame | Will Chevalier (Indiana) |  | [50]
Apr 15, 2023 | South Bend, IN | Penn State | 19–14 | Indiana | Notre Dame | Ian Roudybush (Penn State) |  | [51][52]
Apr 13–14, 2024 | South Bend, IN | Penn State | 40–0 | Michigan | Indiana |  |  | [53]
Apr 12–13, 2025 | South Bend, IN | Notre Dame | 21–12 | Oregon |  |  |  | [54]

## See also

[edit]

* College rugby
* Division 1-A Rugby
* Big Ten Conference

## References

[edit]

1. ^ This Is American Rugby, Tracking College Rugby Changes, July 26, 2012, http://www.thisisamericanrugby.com/2012/07/tracking-college-rugby-changes.html
2. ^ Gainline.us, Cal superleague exit spurs conference gains, Dec. 31, 2011, http://www.gainline.us/gainline/2011/12/cal-superleague-exit-spurs-conference-gains.html
3. ^ Gainline.us, ACC launch unveiled, national league gains steam, March 17, 2010, http://www.gainline.us/gainline/2010/03/acc-launch-unveiled-national-league-gains-steam.html
4. ^ U of I Admissions: Essential Illinois Facts
5. ^ Campus Profile: Student Life: Office of Admissions: Indiana University Bloomington
6. ^ "University of Michigan—Total Enrollment Overview" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 21, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2012.
7. ^ "Michigan State University – Office of the Registrar: Full-Time Students". Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
8. ^ "About: Notre Dame at a Glance". University of Notre Dame. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
9. ^ "History". Rugby ND. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
10. ^ "Statistical Summary (Autumn 2017) – Enrollment (Autumn 2017)". Ohio State University. Archived from the original on January 13, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
11. ^ Purdue University - Student_Enrollment Archived 2011-10-04 at the Wayback Machine
12. ^ Facts: : University of Wisconsin–Madison
13. ^ "Penn State to Join Big Ten Conference for Sevens Season". Goff Rugby Report. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
14. ^ "Big Ten Sets Schedule, Makes Changes". Goff Rugby Report. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
15. ^ "Wisconsin vs. Ohio State rugby match". The Herald Independent. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
16. ^ "#18 Indiana Outguns #22 Michigan to Claim Big Ten Title". M rugby. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
17. ^ "Wisconsin Wins Big Ten Final". Goff Rugby Report. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
18. ^ "Indiana Wins Big Ten". Goff Rugby Report. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
19. ^ "IU Big 10 Champs Again". Goff Rugby Report. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
20. ^ "Indiana Puts it All Together". Goff Rugby Report. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
21. ^ "Indiana Wins Tight Big 10 Final Over Ohio State". Flo rugby. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
22. ^ "Wisconsin rugby caps off season with Big Ten Championship". Badger Herald. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
23. ^ "Indiana Wins Big 10". Goff Rugby Report. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
24. ^ "DIA Stat Leaders 2019-2020". Goff Rugby Report. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
25. ^ "Big Ten Makes All-Conference Selections". Goff Rugby Report. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
26. ^ "Ohio State Comeback Highlights Big Ten Finals Day". Goff Rugby Report. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
27. ^ "Big Ten Names All-Conference Selections". Goff Rugby Report. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
28. ^ "Indiana Edges Ohio State to Win Big Ten". Goff Rugby Report. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
29. ^ "2022 Big Ten Semi Finals Set". Big ten rugby. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
30. ^ "Big Ten Names All-Conference Selections". Goff Rugby Report. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
31. ^ "A Patient, Disciplined Indiana Emphatic Big 10 Champs". Goff Rugby Report. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
32. ^ "Big Ten University All-Conference Picks". Goff Rugby Report. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
33. ^ "Championship Recap: Ohio State Takes Home Title". Big Ten Rugby. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
34. ^ "Big Ten Rugby Conference Announces 2024 Postseason Honors". Big Ten Rugby. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
35. ^ "OSU, Wisconsin to Play for Big 10 Title". Goff Rugby Report. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
36. ^ Solomon, Alex. "Indiana penalized for eligibility misconduct". D1A College Rugby. D1A College Rugby.
37. ^ "2021 Big Ten University XV Standngs". BTU Rugby. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
38. ^ "XVs Standings". Big Ten. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
39. ^ "BIG 10 MEN'S RUGBY". NCRugby. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
40. ^ "2024 Fall Standings". bigtenrugby. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
41. ^ a b c Midwest Rugby, Big 10 Sevens Championship, August 28, 2011, "Big 10 Sevens Championship - 2011". Archived from the original on June 7, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2012.
42. ^ Midwest Rugby, Collegiate Sevens Championships Officially Announced, Sep. 1, 2011, "Collegiate Sevens Championships Officially Announced" (Press release). USA Rugby. September 1, 2011. Archived from the original on May 12, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2012.
43. ^ "Big Ten Universities". BTU Rugby. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
44. ^ "2015 Big Ten Universities Rugby Conference 7s Awards". BTU Rugby. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
45. ^ "College 7s Latest". Goff Rugby Report. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
46. ^ "2nd Place Finish at Big Ten 7s Final". M rugby. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
47. ^ "Buckeyes Win Big Ten, Eyes on 7s and 15s Prizes". Goff Rugby Report. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
48. ^ "College 7s Update - Qualifiers". Goff Rugby Report. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
49. ^ "UW-Madison Men's Rugby Newsletter – May 2018". Rugby Madison. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
50. ^ "Big 10 Names All-Conference Sevens Selections". Goff Rugby Report. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
51. ^ "Men's Rugby Undefeated to Win Big Ten Universities 7's Championship". Go PU sports. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
52. ^ "Wolverines Claim Fourth at Big Ten 7s". Mrugby. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
53. ^ "Men's Rugby repeat as 2024 Big 10 Universities 7s Champions". Go PSU sports. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
54. ^ "2025 Notre Dame Big Ten 7s Champions - Celebration". youtube. Retrieved April 24, 2025.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website