BERKELEY – California rugby is slated to host the first round of the D1A National Collegiate Championship postseason on April 6. The Golden Bears will host the California Polytechnic State University Mustangs for a 1 p.m. PDT contest at Witter Rugby Field in Berkeley. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased in advance here.
 
Cal is seeded fourth in the west region and granted hosting privileges for the first round of the playoffs, announced by the Collegiate Rugby Association of America on Monday afternoon. The Bears will welcome the west region's No. 5 seed, Cal Poly, to Strawberry Canyon. The full bracket for the playoffs is below.
 

Cal posted a 10-3 overall record this season to secure a spot in the playoffs. The Bears opened their season with a 6-0 run against their opponents, including a 33-7 win over Cal Poly at the Dennis Storer Classic Jan. 13 and a 66-12 road victory Feb. 3 over UCLA, which is seeded sixth in the west. Cal took a loss to No. 3 seed Brigham Young to snap the winning streak Feb. 10, but bounced back with three straight road wins over seventh-seeded Arizona (85-10), eighth-seeded Grand Canyon (74-7) and Utah (69-22). The Bears fell to east region No. 7 seed Army in West Point, New York on March 2, but two weeks later stormed past No. 1 Navy with a dominant 47-24 win. In their final outing of the regular season, the Bears were edged 38-31 by Saint Mary's, which clinched the top seed in the west region.
 
"We contest a regular season with the intent of developing our team," Cal head coach Jack Clark said. "Like all the teams, we want to win every match, but critical to the regular-season journey is developing our team and players. I believe we have accomplished quite a bit of growth in our team thus far. We are improving, we're getting better."
 
Following the first round on April 6, the higher-seeded team will receive hosting privileges in both the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds. The national title match will be contested May 4 in Houston.
 
"What is at stake in the regular season by way of results is whether a team plays at home or away in the postseason," Clark said. "If we advance through the April 6 match, it is hard to see a scenario where we'll play at home again this season. We will for sure relish another opportunity to play at Witter Rugby Field in Strawberry Canyon on April 6."
 
Cal gave all of its healthy players competition experience at some point during the regular season, with 51 different student-athletes getting the chance to don the Blue & Gold in first-team matches this season. A core selection of players have earned the call to the Bears' first 15 in high-stakes matches, and will continue to represent Cal as it enters the postseason.
 
"I'm happy with the whole squad. Just about everyone is having moments where they demonstrate nous and ability," Clark said. "Co-captain Charlie Walsh has been a rock for this team at tighthead prop and his on-field leadership has been really good. His loosehead prop partner Emilio Shea has also been excellent as of late. Tom Dixon in the second row has been a force. Co-captain No. 8 Alex Aguero has been an X-factor and fellow backrower Hugo Schreuder has been a workhorse. Solomon Williams' halfback play and control has been outstanding and he's among our most active defenders. Not having Max Threlkeld and co-captain Will Shankland in the centers last week hurt us. They are both such well-rounded performers with attacking as well as defensive attributes. We need them back as soon as they're able."
 
In addition to competing on the pitch, the Bears also took some time during the regular season to celebrate associate head coach Tom Billups' milestone 25th season with the Bears. A special recognition took place at the annual Homecoming celebration on March 16 to honor his 25 years of service as a coach and a leader.
 
"As I mentioned in our video piece celebrating Tom, it gives us a great deal of pride to offer a tribute to Tom," Clark said. "Most of this joy is directed at honoring Tom and his Cal milestone, but it also speaks to the ethos of what we are building in the rugby program. We want to continually chase excellence. We might not always succeed in this pursuit, but the chase is continuous. By design, we want every aspect of the team's endeavors to be sustainable season after season. Within this objective, continuity such as Tom's 25-year anniversary is highly valued. Miles 'Doc' Hudson coached the team for 38 years. We had the same beloved athletic trainer, Dave Stenger, for four decades. The exceptional Jerry Figone spearheaded our operations for over 30 years. Extremely busy, successful men have occupied positions on our advisory board for decades. They just keep answering the bell with advice, advocacy and philanthropy. We are an ongoing type and Tom Billups is a shining example."
 
STAY POSTED 
For complete coverage of Cal rugby, please follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalVarsityRugby), Instagram (@CalVarsityRugby) and Facebook (/CalVarsityRugby).