28 March—National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) announced the 2022 Women’s Small College 7s National Championship will be hosted at Founders Field in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Saturday-Sunday, April 30-May 1.
The two-day tournament will showcase the best small college women’s teams in the country, pulling from a field of nearly 100 women’s 7s programs. The Pittsburgh Harlequins, three-time hosts of the tournament, will once again welcome the teams to Founders Field.
Many of the players from the recent All-Star 7s National Cup in Houston will lead their club teams into the 12-team national championship tournament. The national tournament teams must qualify by winning their conference championship tournament or receiving an at-large bid. The two at-large bids were awarded to Colonial Coast and Upstate New York based on the strength of the conferences. The national championship includes the following conferences:
Allegheny
Colonial Coast (two teams)
Eastern Pennsylvania
Great Waters
Mid-America
Ohio Valley
Prairie States
Rugby Northeast
South Atlantic
Upstate New York (two teams)
Small College Commissioner Jessie Blitz says, “I’m looking forward to seeing the hard work that these Small College teams have put into rebuilding their 7s programs pay off. I expect this year’s championship to be exceptionally exciting and competitive.”
While most NCR 7s Championships are being held at the Collegiate Rugby Championships in New Orleans, the Women’s Small College conferences requested an earlier National Championship.