Photos: Amy Kish
The Chicago Lions won the Midwest 7s series after claiming its third-straight qualifier trophy last Saturday at Legacy 7s. The team has thus met the conditions for the “golden ticket,” a new concept for the Midwest, and advances directly to the USA Rugby Women’s Club 7s National Championship as the region’s top seed. The Lions bypass the Midwest championship (July 29), which will now be used to determine the region’s second seed to nationals, to be held Aug. 12-13 in Minneapolis.
READ MORE: Midwest 7s Standings • USA Rugby Club 7s National Championship • Chicago Lions Win Madtown 7s
“The squad deserves full credit for improving week to week in practice, and having that same attitude on tournament days, improving game to game,” Chicago Lions coach Jeremy Nash praised.
“Execution and work rate are where we try to be better than our opposition, and we had some success [Saturday],” the coach added. “Additionally, we have a deep pool of players to select from, and that gives us a deep bench. That bench has made consistent contributions, both by allowing us to rest players and by maintaining or boosting our level of play when they come on.”
Nash highlighted Tanya “Twiggs” Carlson for dynamism on either side of the ball and making big plays at key moments tournament long. The coach also lauded Katie “Creek” Lank, a newer player, for a breakout performance.
“The pressure has been there, but we have responded. Every team we face requires us to play our best rugby,” Nash reviewed the Midwest field. “If I had to highlight one team, it would be 1823. They have steadily improved over the course of the summer, and we continually have to up our game to overcome them.”
The Columbus, Ohio-based squad finished in fifth place during the first two qualifiers and then runner-up to the Lions Saturday. Legacy beat Minnesota for third; Cincinnati over Chicago Griffins for fifth; and Lions B defeated Circle City for seventh Saturday.
The Chicago Lions will miss out on the competition at the Midwest championship, as the team is not allowed to forfeit its “golden ticket.” The reward, obviously, is extra time to rest and prepare for nationals in Minneapolis. The Lions will compete in Pool B alongside Atlantic North champion New York (read more), Red River runner-up Austin Valkyries and Mid-Atlantic’s third team, which will be decided July 22.
The remainder of the Midwest field will be fighting for the region’s second seed on July 29. The victor will be placed in Pool D along with the champions from the Pacific North and South as well as the Mid-Atlantic runner-up.
Seeds for the Midwest championship will be based on the series standings, below. In the case of 1823 and Legacy, which both have 27 standings points, the teams’ records and then head-to-head will be used as tiebreakers. Read the full Midwest 7s Qualifier Handbook here.
1. Chicago Lions A – 36
2. Chicago Griffins – 28
3. 1823 – 27
3. Legacy – 27
5. Cincinnati – 26
6. Minnesota – 20
7. Circle City – 16
8. Grand Rapids – 7
9. Chicago Lions B – 6
10. Indianapolis – 5
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