Big Ten Champion Ohio State University Earns Final Invitation to the 2014 Collegiate Rugby Championships in Philadelphia May 31-June 1

Buckeyes Join 19 Elite Teams, Including Defending Champ Cal-Berkley, University of Michigan and Six Philly Area Schools in the Deepest Tournament Field Ever

Philadelphia, Pa. – May 2, 2014 -- The Big 10 Champion Ohio State Buckeyes will be the 20^th and final club participating in one of the year’s most exciting and fast-paced events on the sports calendar,  the 2014 Collegiate Rugby Championships at PPL Park in Chester, Pa., it was announced today by Donal Walsh, CRC Tournament Director.

Ohio State will join long-time rival Michigan, defending champion the University California-Berkeley and 17 other schools in the two-day event at PPL Park in Chester.  America’s elite talent will be on display in this run-up for the 2016 United States Rugby Sevens Olympic team, which will attempt to qualify for Rio next summer (the first time rugby will be part of the Olympic Games).

The current USA Rugby Sevens National team includes 13 full-time players who have competed in the CRC tournament within the past three-years. Dartmouth’s Madison Hughes, and Arizona’s Ryan Matays, both of whom are current USA Rugby Sevens National team players, will be competing at the 2014 Collegiate Rugby Championships in Chester this month.

Rugby Sevens features seven players per team playing on the same size pitch as a 15s match and offers non-stop action where speed, high scoring and athleticism dominate the competition. The format allows for constant entertainment with each match split into two seven-minute halves and a new high-energy match starting about every 20 minutes.

“There has never been a deeper, more diverse field than the one that we have assembled this year, with many players vying not just for the national title, but for a potential chance to represent the United States in Brazil in 2016 as Rugby Sevens makes its first-ever entry into the Olympic program,” said Walsh. “It is so rare that sports fans get such a look into a potential Olympic team as it is being formed, but we are confident that several of the best individuals who will help bring their university the Dawkins Cup will also make their way to Olympic glory as well.”

This marks the fourth consecutive year that PPL Park will host the tournament that brings thousands of rugby fans into the Greater Philadelphia Region. The tournament features 20 of the top college teams competing in 44 matches across two days as they vie for the coveted Pete Dawkins trophy (named after the Heisman Trophy winner, All-American at Army and standout rugby player) and earn the title National Champion.

Six local teams, including Drexel University, Kutztown University, University of Pennsylvania, Penn State University, Saint Joseph’s University and Temple University, will compete with University of Arizona, UCLA, Dartmouth, Life University, University of Maryland, University of Michigan, Navy, Northeastern University, Notre Dame, University of South Carolina, University of Texas, Virginia Tech, and Ohio State University.  Reigning champion University of California returns to the CRC looking to defend their national championship title.

One-day tickets, starting at $30, and two-day tickets, starting at $40, are available online at ComcastTIX.com, by phone at 1-800-298-4200, or in person at the PPL Park box office.

About United World Sports:

United World Sports (UWS) LLC hosts a dynamic line up of emerging sports properties and has quickly become the leader at delivering premier international sports properties to U.S. audiences. UWS’ flagship property is the USA Sevens Rugby Tournament held annually in Las Vegas. This exciting 16-nation, three-day tournament has become the largest attended rugby event in North America with more than 70,000 fans coming to Sam Boyd Stadium.  Broadcast live on NBC Sports the tournament serves as the only U.S. stop on a nine-city world tour and reaches more than 387 million television households worldwide. Additional UWS properties include the Las Vegas Invitational, the College Rugby Championship (CRC), the Varsity Cup and the Pro Soccer Challenge.