USA Rugby College 7s Nationals
This weekend, May 18-20, 44 men’s and women’s collegiate sevens teams will vie for the 2018 USA Rugby College 7s National Championships at Infinity Park, Glendale, Colorado.
Three defending national champions are there to defend their title (Lindenwood Men’s D1, UW Whitewater Men’s D2, and Lindenwood Women).
USA Rugby has indicated that “The pools were determined by a seeding process undertaken by the respective divisional committees. The teams were ranked based on reviews of their performances during the season these rankings determined seedings within each pool.”
Matches will be broadcast on The Rugby Channel and on FloRugby.
PURCHASE COLLEGE 7S TICKETS >>
Men’s D1
| Pool A | Pool B | Pool C | Pool D |
| Lindenwood | Cal | Arizona | Kutztown |
| Arkansas | Notre Dame College | Grand Canyon | American International |
| Utah | Fordham | Florida International | Western Washington |
| Missouri | Indiana | Nevada | Wisconsin |
Eleven of the sixteen teams in the Men’s D1 division are from D1A Rugby. This includes last year’s champion Lindenwood and this year’s XVs runner-up Cal. Cal has won the CRCs for the past five years and are returning to the National Championships after an extended absence. Kutztown won the 2018 LVI 7s, beating Utah in the final. Notre Dame College, AIC, Grand Canyon and Utah could also contend according to Dustin Rosen of Rugby 7s Magazine.
Listen to Dustin Rosen’s predictions for Pool A, B, C, and D.
Men’s D2
| Pool A | Pool B | Pool C |
| UW Whitewater | UNC Charlotte | Hartford |
| Bloomsburg | North Carolina State | Norwich |
| William Patterson | Principia | North Texas |
| Old Dominion | Montana State | St. Louis |
In the Men’s Second division the favorites will be UW Whitewater, who are the returning champions and who have also won the last two D2 XVs National Championships. Pool C looks to be the toughest of the three pools with Hartford, Norwich and North Texas all having strong seasons. Hartford will be the favorite to finish on top of the pool given their impressive showing last year, but North Texas went undefeated in the Lone Star Conference 7s, while Norwich also went undefeated. UNC Charlotte were the Southern Conference Champions.
Women’s D1
| Pool A | Pool B |
| Lindenwood | Army |
| Dartmouth | Life |
| Penn State | Harvard |
| Central Washington | Davenport |
Pool A is a very strong pool with three of last year’s semifinalists in Lindenwood, Dartmouth, and Penn State. Central Washington completes the Pool as an at-large team. Pool B contains last year’s runners-up, Life. Army, who lost only one match against Dartmouth will also contend. Davenport won two out of the three 7s tournaments they have played this year. They will be lead by Danielle Ordway who was a nominee for the Sorensen Award for the best Women’s rugby player of the year.
Women’s Open
| Pool A | Pool B |
| Chico State | Princeton |
| Air Force | Bloomsburg |
| Queens | Texas A&M |
| Sam Houston State | Kennesaw State |
In Pool B, Princeton, Bloomsburg and Texas A&M have all participated in the tournament before, and their experience short be an assest. Princeton finished third in the Ivy League behind D1 opponents Harvard and Dartmouth, and won the Emperor 7s Tournament. Bloomsburg is returning to the tournament after taking a year off, and half of their squad have played previously in the tournament. They qualified after winning the MARC 7s championships for the fourth consecutive year. Texas A&M also played in the tournament the last two years. They qualified this year by winning the Oklahoma 7s tournament. Kennesaw State is a team on the rise and they won the SIRC tournament, receiving an automatic bid to the championship.
In Pool A, Chico State, the D1 Spring XVs Champions will be seeking a national double. Air Force, Queens and Sam Houston State will also be looking to contend.
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