Notable among these is newly-minted D1AA 15s champion St. Thomas out of Florida. Even though the Bobcats have not been playing much 7s, they have a ton of players who are very good in open space and can exploit space. So, while they aren't concentrating on 7s, they are expected to do well.

Western Washington has had a bit more time to work on their 7s game and they did win this tournament (which they hosted) in 2024.

And ... MAU. Who? Millenia Atlantic University is a relatively new school-supported team out of Doral, Fla. which has played mostly 7s but also played 15s and was just pipped by Ave Maria in the push for a spot in the Florida D2 final (which Ave Maria lost to North Florida).

The players are young but have long rugby resumés. In November 23's Florida Conference 7s they beat UCF, FAU, Florida, and South Florida before losing to St. Thomas 31-19. They followed that up with a 3-1 performance at the LAI.

Teams will play pool matches on Saturday and knockout rounds on Sunday.