IUP, UNI stumble in round one of

The Men's Division II Regional playoffs exploded with immediate chaos, dismantling brackets and reshaping the National Championship picture. Defending champions #3 IUP were sensationally ousted 24-14 by a surging #7 Cornell Big Red, with Cornell prop Tatenda Gonese scoring two crucial tries after IUP's Malcolm Johnson had secured his team's 14-10 halftime lead. In another monumental upset, #9 UNI Panthers, the other 2024 finalist, were overcome by #15 Grand Valley State Lakers, who sealed their victory with late scores from Kyle Riter and Lucas Francis, despite UNI's Mikey Santoiemma's two tries. Elsewhere, #1 Vermont Catamounts delivered a commanding 65-11 performance against #12 Villanova, propelled by hat tricks from John Worobel and Roman Legere, while #2 UNC-Wilmington demolished #8 Salisbury 50-7, featuring Maxton Buckingham's triple-try effort. Adding to the drama, #5 Scranton Norsemen orchestrated a phenomenal 36-32 comeback win over #19 Norwich, overcoming a 22-5 deficit with Ryan Wimmer’s decisive second try, and #11 Memphis Tigers held on for a thrilling 39-38 slugfest victory against #20 Coastal Carolina. These electrifying round one results have blown the DII Nationals wide open, promising an unpredictable and fiercely contested path to Houston for US rugby enthusiasts.