GRR: Bloomsburg
There are many familiar notes in Bloomsburg’s recent past. The program wanted to be more competitive, so it hired a tested coach, Kevin Castner from East Stroudsburg University. He injected structure and discipline, and while there was some resistance, the players subscribed to this success-driven culture. The affect was realized on the pitch, and Bloomsburg started winning.
Bloomsburg proved that its first Mid-Atlantic 7s title wasn’t a fluke by winning the second leg of the series in East Stroudsburg Saturday. Return finalist Kutztown provided excellent competition, but the 22-12 decision to Bloomsburg awarded the conference title.
The Mid-Atlantic Rugby Conference (MARC) pooled 12 teams together for the first of its women's college 7s series, and DII Bloomsburg finished the day with a perfect record and tournament trophy. It was quite the accomplishment for a team that has played in only one 7s tournament previous to Saturday’s title run.
The Mid-Atlantic women’s DII college divisions starkly contrasted with each other. In the Tri-State Division, four of five matches were shutouts, with Kutztown posting the biggest margin in its 145-point win over Rowan. But the Pennsylvania Division was much more nerve-wracking. The three victors outscored opponents 87-65.