Iowa Hawkettes Gold won the Minnesota 7s •
In attempts to build a better base for 7s, the Midwest is holding its second annual high school invitational, this time aligning with the Lakefront 7s. The Milwaukee tournament is one of the largest (and picturesque) 7s fixtures in the region, and high school teams be able to view the full spectrum of rugby in motion Saturday.
The set-up is slightly different this year, with the six-team field populated by four Wisconsin teams and two Iowa sides. The Hawkettes have supplied true all-star teams, while the remainder are more like combination teams (except the stand-alone Knightmares). The field speaks to the popularity of 7s in Wisconsin, which is sports 10 teams of 15 players each, and the state league is considering a second division.
The Iowa Hawkettes prepared for the regional event with a trip to the Minnesota 7s, bringing two sides to the Land of 10,000 Lakes. The top side, Gold, won the tournament, beating Eagan 66-0, 7s state champion North Suburban 49-5 and the Hawkettes’ developmental side en route to the final. In the title match, Iowa bettered 15s state champion Armstrong 29-0.
“You could definitely see some 15s habits from some of the Minnesota teams – not that that was a bad thing. It was new for our girls to see someone crash at the post, and I think it gave them some really good experience for Lakefront,” Iowa Hawkettes head coach Kelsie McDowell stated.
“Armstrong was a very, very physical team,” the coach added. “We definitely struggled in the rucks and scrums against them. They were blowing them up. Our defense and quick offense definitely saved us that game.”
So did depth and experience. Iowa is a 7s-only state for high school girls, and last year, McDowell established the girls’ all-star program. The Hawkettes competed at the Midwest 7s championship last summer, returned several of those founding members, and added more talent.
“Every single girl on the Hawkette Gold side scored, including reserves, so that was amazing to see,” McDowell enthused. “It was also really nice to have Sarah Niswander back this summer as captain. She is an amazing on-the-field leader, and probably the best set-up person in the state.”
The coach praised the entire squad for putting in such a dominant performance, and acknowledged additional standouts like Juice Osman and Hannah Fultz for setting a high standard.
“I would say that Grace Estes out of the Quad Cities was the most pleasant surprise,” McDowell said. “I knew from last year she was going to be something special, but she fit in with the team seamlessly and scored our first three opening tries. Not to mention, she was a beast on defense. You wouldn’t have known she hadn’t been practicing with the team. The chemistry was amazing.”
The Hawkettes immediately refocused on the following two weeks of training to better prepare for this weekend, and will be looking to continue its winning streak in Wisconsin this weekend. Stay tuned for results.
Iowa Hawkettes Gold
Juice Osman
Sarah Niswander
Sydney Sears
Kaycie Tilton
Lindey Pingel
Mak Pyles
Hannah Fultz
Madison Vansickel
Grace Estes
Christina Odir
Iowa Hawkettes Black
Kylee Blad
Miranda Vermeer
Hannah Waskel
Piper Wood
Samiya Abu-Youm
Ashley Pappas
Gloria Casillas
Kaylin Schmidt
Mackenzie Annis
Maura Speck