Berkeley and ORSU’s chances of advancing just improved. /// Photo: Will Mahoney-Watson. See more. •
The pools for the Women’s Club 7s National Championship have been adjusted to account for the withdrawal of Hawaii, which had held the #12 seed and was placed in Pool D. The Pacific North received the vacated spot, and therefore the pools needed realignment.
POOL A is still headlined by 2015 champion American Rugby Pro Training Center (ARPTC), which won the Red River conference Saturday after a clean sweep of the region’s qualifiers. The team features many familiar faces, including Eagles Ashley Perry and Jess Wooden, ’15 returners, as well as a trio of New Zealand players. How has ARPTC faired outside of the Red River? The Academy side won the Cape Fear 7s 19-7 over the Scion Academy.
Also in Pool A is Atlantic North champion Old Blue, which is the summer home to many Northeast Academy players. South runner-up Charlotte won its berth to the national championship in its first season of competitive 7s, and the Midwest runner-up will be named Saturday.
POOL B is half-full. NOVA and Boston finished runner-up in the Mid-Atlantic (MAC) and Atlantic North, respectively. The former dropped a competitive championship match, 22-12, to Scion in the final MAC qualifier Saturday. Boston played an even closer game, 10-5, against Old Blue in the Atlantic North final two weekends ago. This Saturday, the Midwest and Pacific North will determine their respective champions, and they’ll both head to Pool B.
POOL C is an all-West affair. Pacific South #1 San Diego Surfers comes in as the #3 seed overall and will take on the Frontier’s Glendale and Red River runner-up Austin Valkyries. The Surfers won the Santa Monica 7s last weekend, while Austin continued to refine its game against ARPTC during the Red River’s third and final qualifier Saturday. Glendale got the uncontested bid out of the Frontier. The fourth spot will be filled by the Pacific Northwest’s third team, decided on Treasure Island this weekend.
The Pacific North’s runner-up will headline POOL D and be joined by MAC champion Scion, Pacific South runner-up Tempe, and South champion Orlando, which repeated as the region’s best team after a 15-12 win over Charlotte in Saturday’s title match.
Club 7s Championship Pools
POOL A
#1 Red River 1: ARPTC
#8 Midwest 2: July 30
#9 Atlantic North 1: Old Blue
#16 South 2: Charlotte
POOL B
#2 Pacific North 1: July 30
#7 Midwest 1: July 30
#11 Mid-Atlantic 2: NOVA
#14 Atlantic North 2: Boston
POOL C
#3 Pacific South 1: San Diego
#5 Pacific North 3: July 30
#12 Frontier 1: Glendale
#15 Red River 2: Austin
POOL D
#4 Pacific North 2: July 30
#6 Mid-Atlantic 1: Scion
#10 Pacific South 2: Tempe
#13 South 1: Orlando
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