The National Collegiate Gaelic Athletic Association is a non-profit organization that oversees hurling and Gaelic football sports for universities in North America. Since beginning in 2011, the NCGAA has grown to over 27 active clubs across the United States and Canada.
The first ever U.S. NCGAA hurling championship took place in 2011. In 2014, a second lower division of the championship, known as the Shield, was introduced. The NCGAA expanded to include Gaelic football in 2022.
The NCGAA championship has been held at various times throughout the year and has settled into the weekend of Saint Patrick's day.
Team Successes
Hurling In 2011, Indiana University won the first hurling championship, beating UC Berkeley 3-4 (13) to 1-6 (9). The University of Montana became the first team to win the championship back-to-back, doing so in both 2014 and 2015 and in 2017 and 2018. The University of Pittsburgh became the first team to win the NCGAA championship four times in a row from 2019 to 2023 (the 2021 championships was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Two players from the University of Pittsburgh, Luca Donini and Stephen Wagner, played in all four championships. Purdue University won back-to-back championships in 2024 and 2025, with both wins broadcast live by ESPN (see "Growing the Game").
A complete list of winners of the U.S. NCGAA hurling championship is below. Year Winner Location 2011 Indiana University Chicago, Illinois 2012 Purdue University Palo Alto, California 2013 University of California, Berkeley West Lafayette, Indiana 2014 University of Montana, Missoula New York, New York 2015 University of Montana, Missoula Missoula, Montana2016University of ConnecticutBoulder, Colorado2017University of Montana, MissoulaChicago, Illinois2018University of Montana, MissoulaBoulder, Colorado2019University of PittsburghChapel Hill, North Carolina2020University of PittsburghOrlando, Florida2022University of PittsburghOrlando, Florida2023University of PittsburghLouisville, Kentucky2024Purdue UniversitySalt Lake City, Utah2025Purdue UniversityDenver, Colorado2026Purdue UniversityOrlando, Florida2027tbdIndianapolis, Indiana2028tbdPhoenix, Arizona
Growing the Game Besides overseeing the competitive aspect of collegiate hurling, the NCGAA tries to raise awareness and increase participation of hurling in America.
2024 National Championship In 2024, the NCGAA final was televised on ESPN3. This was the first nationally televised match in the United States since the All-Ireland Final in 1973. Purdue University defeated Colorado University at Zion Bank Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, to win the hurling final. The final score reported on ESPN's live stream was 5-12 (27) to 1-11 (14). The correct score on review was 6-12 (30) to 1-11 (14)
Details
GK 0Clay WilliamsFB 59 Ian Cockrell (c)FB 30 Michael WiseWB 25 Ryan McLaughlinHB 69 Sean HarkinWB 97 Blake KesslerMF 83 Dylan ClarkeMF 15 Michael BrennanWF 24 Liam ClarkeHF 11 Evan GrealishWF 17 Daylen ConnFF 5 Grayson FishFF 6 Danny Rubin (c)Substitutes:F 12 Joseph CorbettF 67 Reese KerschnerB 3 Jonah PetersonF 44 Ben CabotB 37 Mikey DavisF 43 Travis GregoryF 27 Jeremiah BuddB 45 Reilly BresnahanB 57 Izzy SurinakF 4 Katie EssexF 1 Van HibbelnF 16 Adam BartleyB 20 Liam Rogers GK 1 Seamus O'SheaFB 2 Amy HollandFB 33 Larry EndersonWB 3 Leo BuckHB 33 Mark SheehanWB 9 Kieran MaguireMF 28 Conall McCabeMF 23 Michael JordanWF 69 Patrick BurnsHF 34 Maximiliano SilvaWF 7 Will PoeyFF 18 Logan WallaceFF 6 Ava Russell
College GameDay The first game of the 2024 U.S. college football season was played in Ireland. It marked the first time that the pre-game television sports show "College GameDay" originated outside of the United States. As part of the show, the NCGAA's Naoise Waldron taught Desmond Howard, Jess Simms and Stanford Steve the basics of hurling.
Heinz History Center To honor the University of Pittsburgh's four-in-a-row NCGAA championships, the Heinz History Center included an exhibit on the university's hurling team in the entryway for the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum.
See also
References