The Men’s Club 7s Championships will welcome 16 teams to Des Moines in less than two weeks, and many of those clubs will have college players on their roster to bolster their chances.

But one team that just missed out on a place at Nationals was a college team in its entirety. Florida International University finished 2nd in the South, losing to Charlotte in the final, and while in most regions finishing 2nd would be good enough to get to the Big Dance, the South has only the one seed.

The team is all FIU students, and did superbly through the south. 

“We had about 20 guys who were really committed, and that was a big part of it,” said FIU’s Mateo Velasquez. “We wanted to be a better team in both 15s and 7s.”

FIU brought in Ron Suarez as their new coach. he was excited about 7s and thought it would be a good way to bring players together over the summer. He was right, and the overall team pace and fitness saw them get past many club teams in the region.

Speed on the wing was a big factor for FIU, with Ignacio Pannunzio being an excellent finisher on the outside, while Jose Laphitzondo was superb at scrumhalf.

“Going up against men’s clubs was tough, but I think it’s going to be good for us as we try to get better,” said Velasquez. “We want to play at a high level.”