HOUSTON - The Iowa Central rugby team will look to finish 2021 in strong fashion here Saturday when they compete in the inaugural Rhino Bowl.

The Tritons will take on Wheeling University from AVEVA Stadium at noon. The event is part of the National Collegiate Rugby's CRC Bowl Series. St. Bonaventure and Penn State will meet for the national title that night. 

"This is an opportunity for us to play on the national stage and represent Iowa Central," Triton head coach Brent Nelson said. "We can put a good foot forward for NCR and show them that we belong with the other D1 teams in the championships." 

Iowa Central went 7-4 during the year, taking on highly-ranked teams such as Lindenwood, Arkansas State, Army and Davenport. They earned wins over Iowa State, Marian, Northern Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa and Wisconsin. 

"We have made some personnel changes and think we still have a pretty strong side that we are going to have out there," Nelson said. "We have had some injuries throughout the year and have had kids step up. That's what we expect here: when a teammate goes down, you have to be ready to go and step up." 

Wheeling is 6-2-1 on the year and ranked as high as No. 12 in the nation. The Cardinals last played in October when they claimed a pair of 10s matchups over Alderson Broaddus. 

During the regular season, Wheeling outscored its nine opponents 354-105, including four matches where they allowed five or less points including a shutout. They earned wins over Indiana University of Pennsylvania and West Virginia, while tying Davenport.

AVEVA Stadium is home to the Houston SaberCats of Major League Rugby. 

-By Dana Becker