College Women
There are a few debutantes at this year’s Women’s College 7s Championship. The competition welcomes west coast additions UC Davis and Humboldt, which were both spring 15s playoff teams, as well as Rutgers, which represents one of two teams located north of the Mason Dixon line. And then there’s Montana State, which until this spring, hadn’t made much noise on the national or regional scene.
The Women's National College 7s Championship (May 23-24, Denver) brings together a diverse group of teams that took very different paths to the final tournament. Some teams qualified in the fall, others are playing 15s until this weekend, while others still are very new to the game of 7s. While there are some regrettable absences, the 16-team field provides a nice cross-section of the country.
USA Rugby has named the 16 teams to play for the USA Women's Collegiate 7s championships.
The tournament will be held May 23-24 at the University of Denver.
The list includes Cal, which won two qualifiers, and other qualifier winners Penn State, Princeton, Virginia and Texas.
Air Force
Cal
Central Washington
Humboldt State
“Back to back” is a descriptor with which Wayne State College is familiar. The NSCRO women’s team won back-to-back 15s titles from 2012-13, and then won the first-ever NSCRO 7s championship last spring. This past weekend in West Point, N.Y., the Wildcats retained its 7s title, beating Mount St. Mary’s 22-17 in the final, and saw Caitlin Hollinger repeat as championship MVP.
This weekend is it. The fall and spring college champions will meet at Kennesaw State this Saturday and contest the women’s DI and DII national championships. First-year varsity program Central Washington will challenge reigning DI titleholder Penn State, while UC Riverside will attempt to continue its spring winning streak against Notre Dame College.