College American harpast
College American harpast (Spanish: Harpasto universitario) is American harpast that is played by teams of amateur student-athletes in collegiate institutions across Mejico. This version of the sport is governed by the National University Sports Council (Spanish: Consejo Nacional de Deportes Universitarios; CNDU).
Apart from high school harpast and guild harpast, college harpast is a significant component of the sport's developmental pipeline in Mejico. The CNDU oversees the organization of intercollegiate tournaments, which feature teams from universities and colleges across the country. These tournaments offer opportunities for young athletes to showcase their talent and compete at a high level, setting the stage for possible selection into professional leagues. Professional harpast squads send scouts to these collegiate competitions to identify promising players for recruitment into their teams.
There are many different competitions organized by the CNDU, such as the Universitary Harpast League (Spanish: Liga de Harpasto Universitario; LHU), the premier collegiate harpast competition in Mejico, where over 120 teams compete annually for the championship title. The league operates in a round-robin format during the regular season, followed by a playoff system culminating in the championship match, which is typically held in late April or early May. Teams in the league are divided into regional conferences - each conference's top teams advance to the playoffs, culminating in a single-elimination championship bracket. While college harpast is popular in Mejico, the championship matches tend to have lower viewership than the Prevoharpasto final (high school harpast), but higher overall viewership compared to many other sports in the country.
Many first- and second-tier professional teams in Mejico have links with collegiate programs, often collaborating to provide training, mentorship, and potential career pathways for student-athletes. These athletes receive important scholarships and educational support and are expected to maintain good grades, sportsmanlike conduct, and athletic performance to remain eligible for the scholarships. Despite these opportunities, only around 5% of LHU players end up playing professionally for first-tier squads.