For our international readers, we are in the midst of “crazy season” when it comes to college sports in the United States. U.S. fans know it as March Madness, when the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments seem to take over our everyday lives throughout the month of March and into early April. It appears to be all basketball all the time, with fans following their favorite teams in person or on television, taking away from office work with co-worker game analyses around the water cooler, and inspiring millions to fill out tournament brackets in hopes of picking the most winners.
March Madness is the ideal reflection of the status of collegiate and university sports in the United States: clearly demonstrating that the USA is by far the number one market in the world for college sports and a natural host for the world’s largest event for collegiate student athletes – the World University Games. Read on to learn more.
TODAY’S MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT: WORLD RUGBY NATIONS CUP COMING TO CARY!
Literally just minutes prior to the distribution of today’s World University Games March eNews Update, World Rugby, together with USA Rugby and TEG Rugby Live, announced that the World Rugby Nations Cup is coming to Cary this summer, with the USA Eagles taking on Spain on Saturday evening, July 18th, at First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park. How did this exciting event come about? You can thank the 2029 World University Games!
Patrick Stack of Anthem Rugby in Charlotte, prior to joining Anthem, had served as Co-founder and director of Sports Biz Careers, a WUG2029 partner in the founding of the Triangle Sports Business Fellows program, the initial program of the overall 2029 World University Games Education Program. When Patrick learned the World Rugby Nations Cup was considering North Carolina, he reached out to his World University Games connection, Hill Carrow, CEO, to help move the project forward in the Triangle.
While Patrick knew that Rugby 7s is planned for competition in the 2029 World University Games, he probably did not realize the only previous international rugby event ever held at WakeMed was the 2015 Americas Olympic Qualification Tournament (qualifier for the 2016 Olympics in Rio), recruited and hosted by the Triangle Sports Commission, non-profit parent of the North Carolina Organizing Committee (NCOC), the organizers of the 2029 World University Games.
“We are thrilled to have had a role in getting this exciting event project rolling,” said Carrow. “The audience and enthusiasm for the sport of rugby continues to grow in the U.S. with the Nations Cup 2026, World University Games 2029, and Rugby World Cup in the early 2030’s. We plan to support the Nations Cup as a Test Event for WUG2029.”
The weekend prior, on Saturday, July 11th at American Legion Memorial Stadium in Charlotte, USA takes on Zimbabwe. Matches will be broadcast on Paramount +. Tickets for both matches will available for pre-sale on Tuesday, April 7th, with a general sale on Thursday, April 9th at 10am eastern time. Fans can register HERE to get early access to tickets.
ATTORNEYS GATHER AT LENOVO TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WUG2029
Attorneys from across the greater Raleigh area gathered late Wednesday afternoon at the Arena Club at the Lenovo Center to hear from two Gold-medalist athletes from the 2025 World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany. Team USA Swimming Athletes, who also compete locally for NC State University, Leah Shackley and Kennedy Noble, related their athlete experiences at the Games and gave the audience a personal preview of the excitement they can expect in hosting the World University Games here in the area in July of 2029. [Editor’s Note: Between them, Leah and Kennedy accounted for a total of 10 medals at WUG2025, including 7 golds!]
The well-attended event was co-hosted by Perry Safran, a member of the Centennial Authority and a Trustee of NC State University who heads the Safran Law Offices, and Nan Hannah, Chairman of the Triangle Sports Commission and Board member for the 2029 World University Games Organizing Committee who is a partner at the Hannah Sheridan & Cochran Firm. “We owe much gratitude to Perry and Nan, and their respective law firms, for serving as hosts of this great event,” said Melissa Hartzell, Development Director for WUG2029. “These events are intended to build awareness of, and excitement for, the World University Games and as well as provide opportunities for initial conversations for financial investments in, and contributions to, the Games – or other areas of support such as corporate partnerships, volunteerism, and more.” For any of our readers who might be interested in hosting or attending a similar event, please contact Melissa at mhartzell@ncusa2029wug.com.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
The WUG2029 Team is supporting the Greensboro Sports Foundation and the U.S. Masters Swimming Spring National Championships at the Greensboro Aquatic Center (April 30-May 3, 2026)—using the meet partially as a World University Games Test Event [the GAC is our WUG2029 venue for Swimming and Diving]—by helping to recruit volunteers to assist with meet registration. We have a few remaining slots to fill on Thursday morning 4/30, Saturday morning 5/2, and during the day on Sunday 5/3. If you have an interest in volunteering and assisting on site at one of the country’s largest swimming competitions (no experience needed – you will be trained, fed, and given a volunteer T on site) please click HERE
2026 TRIANGLE SPORTS BUSINESS FELLOWS INTERVIEWS
On Wednesday, March 18, live interviews were held with 6 aspiring Triangle Sports Business Fellows, and another 4 interviewees participated remotely in the following days. It was exciting and rewarding to see all the talent on hand and throughout the interview process. Schools represented included Elon University, North Carolina Central University, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, and Winston-Salem State University. This will be Year 2 of the Triangle Sports Business Fellows program which is off to a promising start. Placements are expected to be finalized in the coming week.
WUG 2029 Sports Briefs
- March Madness: Four of our 2029 World University Games Host Universities, Duke, High Point, NC State, and UNC Chapel Hill made the NCAA Tournament in Men’s Basketball. A fifth WUG2029 Host University, Wake Forest, made it into the NIT Tournament. For the Women’s NCAA Championships, three Host Universities made the big dance: Duke, NC State, and UNC Chapel Hill. Unfortunately, as of Sunday evening, none of our North Carolina teams are still alive in the Big Dance.
- ESPN National Coach of the Year: Fayetteville, NC native, Shea Ralph, who led Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball to its best-ever regular-season record at 27-3, is the recipient this year of no less than 4 Coach of the Year awards including 3 different national coach of the year honors as well as Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year. Shea’s prowess at Basketball, which became legend later in her career at the University of Connecticut, first gained major notice at the State Games of North Carolina, which is celebrating its 40th Anniversary this year, having been founded in 1986 by Hill Carrow, Chair & CEO of the 2029 World University Games.
- Triangle Law Award Winner: The lead legal counsel for the 2029 World University Games, Dave Robinson of Maynard Nexsen, was recently named one of the 20 honorees at the inaugural Triangle Law Awards, presented by the Triangle Business Journal. While this news would not at first blush appear to qualify as a “sports brief”, keep in mind that Dave is also an athlete and will be competing in the World Triathlon Championships later this year in the Middle East.
- Fencing: Youssef Shamel, a freshman at UNC from Egypt, became the first-ever Carolina athlete to win both the ACC Championship and NCAA Championship in Fencing. Youssef won the Men’s Epee. In Men’s Foil, Youssef’s UNC teammate Peter Bruk, captured the third-place medal.
- Poker: A New Sport? The Queens Club Raleigh is a long-standing poker club for women only, led by Virginia Parker, former banking executive, and now major community philanthropist. The players all chip in (literally) and at the end of the evening’s session of cards, the winner gets the pot donated to their favorite charity. On Thursday, March 19, Melissa Hartzell of our WUG2029 Team attended and came away the evening’s big winner, which resulted in a very nice $2,700 cash contribution from the Queens Club to the 2029 World University Games! Thank you, Virginia, and the Queens Club members – and major congrats, Melissa, for your success at the poker table!
- Another World Cup Home Base in North Carolina: Last month we reported that Germany had selected Winston-Salem and Norway had selected Greensboro as their home bases for this summer’s World Cup Soccer competition. Now Charlotte has been added to the mix as Scotland has chosen the Queen City, where they will team up with Charlotte FC of MLS for their home base
Significant March Sports Events (in the Sports of WUG2029) across the WUG 2029 Footprint
- USA Swimming Eastern Section Southern Zone Senior Sectionals, March 12-15, were held at the Triangle Aquatic Center, a WUG2029 venue.
- Mid-Atlantic Power League (MAPL) Volleyball, March 14-15, was held at and by Triangle Volleyball Club.
- The Tobacco Road Marathon, with approximately 4000 athletes, was held along the American Tobacco Trail in Durham on March 15.
- The Atlantic Coast Conference Gymnastics Championships were held at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex (a WUG2029 venue) on March 21.
- The 2026 YMCA National Short Course Swimming Championships got underway yesterday at the Greensboro Aquatic Center (a WUG2029 venue).
Support the Games
Be a vital part of championing the world’s premier event for student-athletes! Bringing the 2029 World University Games to our state promises unparalleled economic advantages for our communities. Seize the chance to spotlight North Carolina on the global stage! Click below to explore the myriad of ways you can contribute and support the Games.
Don’t Forget to Shop Local and Support the WUG
Our online store features 2029 FISU World University Games t’s, polos, hoodies, tanks, caps, and more. Items come in a wide variety of colors, and the store has proven to be quite a popular online shopping destination. Don’t miss your opportunity to show your support of the 2029 FISU World University Games by snagging some excellent quality, name-brand clothing and caps!
Sponsor Thank You’s
We cannot thank our sponsors enough for their strong belief in, and generous support of, the 2029 World University Games. We encourage you to patronize their businesses and give them your own personal thanks when you do.
