After competing for a number of seasons as an independent, the Iowa Central rugby team has a new home.

The Tritons were announced as one of six teams in the newly-formed National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) Division I Big Rivers Rugby Conference.

Joining Iowa Central in the fall in the BRCC will be Adrian College, Aquinas College, Marian University, Thomas More University and Wheeling University. 

"From the athletic director chair that I sit in, having the chance to win a conference or regional championship, that is the carrot out there that keeps athletes lifting hard, running hard, working hard in the offseason and being better in class," said Kevin Twait, Director of Athletics at Iowa Central. "It lends itself to playing for something at the end of the road. It is hard to be independent no matter what level you are at, so to be in a conference with great competition like we are able to be brought in with is outstanding for our rugby program.

"We already have one of the most decorated rugby programs in the country and I think this will do nothing but enhance our program."

For Iowa Central head coach Brent Nelson, this is a culmination of years of hard work and progress.

"It's definitely an emotional moment for me," Nelson said. "For the leadership of the NCR and these other schools to be accepting of us and the value of Iowa Central and Iowa Central rugby and what it does on a national scale, to get that collective respect and acceptance really means a lot personally to me."

The Big Rivers name was inspired by the schools' close proximity to some of the biggest rivers in the country including the Missouri, Mississippi, and Ohio rivers. As relatively new programs, all of the BRCC schools receive financial support and backing from their administrations. The new conference will help resolve some of the divisional disparities that can exist across collegiate rugby conferences.

Iowa Central played Wheeling in the inaugural Rhino Bowl this past December. Adrian and Thomas More met in the 2021 Division II national finals. 

"For me, it's all about the competitiveness of these teams," said Hamish McCallion, an assistant with the Tritons. "They have the same amount of support and scholarship opportunities, so it provides a great competitive environment for us as a conference."

Joe Lippert, another assistant with Iowa Central, added the conference provides a "cohesive and more coherent regular season and postseason pathway."

"Having that parity of competitiveness in the conference week in and week out instead of zigzagging is great," Lippert said.

Justin Whitton will serve as the commissioner of the league. He is a former Chairman of USA Rugby Congress and was the head coach at Saint Louis University for 13 seasons. He also previously served in the role of commissioner for the Gateway Rugby Conference. 

"We are now seeing an explosion of 'varsity-type' rugby programs nationwide as schools of all sizes recognize the value rugby can bring to their campus communities," Whitton said. "These programs — and the coaches and administrators leading the way— will be the reason our national level of play continues to improve.  It's great to be with an organization like NCR that has the single goal of improving and growing the college game in America."

Nelson said Iowa Central will still have the opportunity to schedule non-conference opponents moving forward, with added flexibility to the schedule.

"We'll play five conference matches and be able to fill our schedule with some local teams while still being able to 'punch-up' in terms of competition," Nelson said. "We can play mid-week matches and B-side matches as well."

-By Dana Becker