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UHSP Rugby joins College Rugby Association of America
Posted: May 27, 2025

UHSP Rugby joins College Rugby Association of America

ST. LOUIS, MO – The University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in Saint Louis' Athletics Department announced that its men's rugby program will become a member of USA Rugby's College Rugby Association of America and compete in the Heart of America Rugby Football Union (HoA) for the next school year. HoA is mostly made up of Big 12 and Big 10 schools in the midwest region and is a D1-AA division rugby conference. UHSP will be one of three collegiate programs that will be added for the 2025-26 season joining the University of Oklahoma and Wayne State College.

"Today is a significant achievement for the program," said UHSP Rugby Head Coach Coach Lang. "It has taken a lot of hard work to get to this point and we could not have done it without the dedicated support of the department and the school, especially my Athletic Director, Jill Harter. Every single one of our athletes, former and current, have contributed to the development of our program and they should be proud of what we have built together so far and what we are continuing to build. We are nowhere near done, but this is a massive milestone. I would like to especially thank the parents who have supported us in so many ways these last few years – they are a tireless group, all of whom I am honored to call friends. It is going to be an exciting year for the team as we start competing in 15s and strengthening our 7s program. My assistant coach, Lucas Black, has been a real difference maker and along with the rest of my staff has really lifted the bar of what a collegiate rugby program should be."

Ant Frien is the Heart of America's Competition Manager and spoke on the addition of the Eutectics saying, "The Heart of America Collegiate Conference is excited to add the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy to our competition, beginning in the 2025/6 competition cycle. Already viewed as one of the strongest leagues in the country, UHSP's addition only strengthens and adds to that reputation. We feel confident that UHSP will not only fit in our competition on the field and geographically but the values of the program lead by Coach Peter Lang are in line with the other 11 member institutions as we work to build the best possible experience for our Student-Athletes to build the best possible people in their future endeavors. Welcome to the Heart of America, UHSP!"

UHSP Athletic Director Jill Harter had this to say about today's announcement, "Coach Lang and Coach Black have tirelessly poured their energy and passion into starting and growing a high quality, competitive rugby team at UHSP. Becoming a part of CRAA plays a key part in strengthening our program. Growing the Eutectics squad into a 15's team is a testament to the commitment of our coaches and the athletes, present and past, who established a firm foundation. I'm looking forward to watching our first season of 15's this fall!"

Adding UHSP, Oklahoma and Wayne State brings the total number of teams in the Heart of America Conference to twelve. The conference will split into two different divisions: North and South.

North Division:

  • University of Iowa
  • Iowa State University
  • University of Minnesota
  • University of Nebraska
  • Wayne State College (new addition)
  • University of Missouri, which will transition from the South to the North to accommodate the expansion.

South Division:

  • University of Arkansas
  • University of Kansas
  • Kansas State University
  • Oklahoma State University
  • University of Oklahoma (new addition)
  • University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy (new addition)

The University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy started men's rugby in 2021 with the hiring of Head Coach Peter Lang, an experienced coach of professional and national rugby teams. The program began competing two years ago and until now had exclusively played 7's rugby as an independent program in National College Rugby (NCR). Spurred on by strong growth and interest from high school rugby players, the program committed to start competing in 15's rugby starting in fall 2025.

The UHSP Men's Rugby program will congregate on August 3 for pre-season training and full schedule of games will be released shortly.

For more on the College Rugby Association of America: https://craa.rugby/