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The Gaels previously hosted the women’s rugby nationals in 2015 where the Tricolour came away with a silver medal at Nixon Field.

The announcement is an excellent development opportunity for the Queen's Gaels women’s rugby program as the team automatically qualifies as host. Head coach Dan Valley says he is excited for the players to have the chance to compete at the highest level on their home field. However, he also hopes that the team takes the field as OUA champions as well.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for our school and our program – Nixon Field in the fall is one of my favourite rugby settings in the country, and to be able to welcome the top rugby programs across USports for the National Championship will be very exciting,” he says. “I know that Queen’s takes a lot of pride in putting on a world-class experience for all programs and student-athletes that attend nationals in Kingston, so it will be a busy but exciting few years as we work towards November 2020.” 

Queen's is now positioned to host a national championship in each of the next three calendar years, starting with hosting cross country in 2019 for a second straight year, women's rugby in 2020, and women's basketball in 2021.

During Tuesday’s announcement the national university sports governing body revealed the hosts in women’s rugby, men’s and women’s soccer, and men’s and women’s volleyball for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.

“Several high-quality bids were presented for these championships, which speaks to the terrific work our members are doing to enhance our national events,” says U SPORTS President and CEO Graham Brown. “Since refining the bid process, the national office continues to receive increasing interest from both institutions and their surrounding communities with a commitment to elevated standards. We congratulate all 10 winning hosts coast-to-coast from Victoria to Cape Breton, and look forward to working with them to stage first-class tournaments for our student-athletes and fans.”

The national championships awarded Tuesday are as follows:

U SPORTS Women's Rugby Championship
2019 Host: Ottawa Gee-Gees
2020 Host: Queen’s Gaels
Venue: Nixon Field

U SPORTS Women's Soccer Championship
2019 Host: Victoria Vikes 
2020 Host: Cape Breton Capers 

U SPORTS Men's Soccer Championship
2019 Host: Montreal Carabins
2020 Host: Carleton Ravens 

U SPORTS Women's Volleyball Championship
2020 Host: Calgary Dinos
2021 Host: UBC Thunderbirds 

U SPORTS Men's Volleyball Championship
2020 Host: Manitoba Bisons
2021 Host: Brandon Bobcats