Kentucky Rugby wins second straight DI-AA National Championship

Lost in the chaos of a jam-packed Saturday for Kentucky sports that featured a women’s basketball beatdown, a tournament-ending volleyball loss, and a masterful new chapter in the Kentucky-Louisville rivalry was the accomplishment of a lesser-publicized sport. Kentucky Rugby won the DI-AA National Championship for the second straight year in a row.

Even more impressively, they did it convincingly. The Rubgy ‘Cats led 31-0 at halftime and cruised to a 57-12 victory over Bowling Green in Houston, Texas. They tallied nine tries in total, with flanker Holden Hahn, prop Jared Monnier, and wing Joe Keough leading the way with two each.

If your rugby knowledge is anything like mine, those words and numbers don’t mean a lot, but I know what a score of 57-12 signifies, and I like it. Kentucky actually led 57-0 before conceding points in garbage time, barely missing out on an epic shutout.

Last year, Kentucky defeated Louisville to win the Double DI-AA title, but this year they managed to win it on the same day Wildcats basketball beat the Cards in basketball. The team’s second straight title officially makes them one championship away from an official rugby dynasty.

Go ‘Cats.

CHAMPIONS BACK-TO-BACK YEARS! 🚨

The dominant Kentucky Wildcats are your DI-AA National Champions. 🤩

📺 Watch now on @therugbynetwork#NationalXVs #CRCXVs #Rugby pic.twitter.com/nwBTsZ1M76

— National Collegiate Rugby (@ncrrugby) December 14, 2024

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