NOVA’s Bri Kim / Photo: Meredith Nelson, Mean Photography
The USA Rugby Women’s Club 7s National Championship will occur this weekend, Aug. 12-13, in Blaine, Minn., and 16 of the country’s top teams will be featured. This year’s event has also been dubbed the Emil Signes Cup in honor of the man who build up 7s in this country and beyond.
RELATED: Club 7s: Pool A Preview • Club 7s: Pool B Preview • Club 7s: Pool C Preview
Atavus Seattle is the top seed in this pool and it’s bringing the same exact roster as the one that won the Pacific North championship. That event was significant in that it eliminated two teams with major history at nationals: Berkeley had competed at all of the national tournaments until 2017, and ORSU finished fourth in last year’s event.
Coach Michaela Staniford is pleased with how the squad has come together and noted the improvement made between the team’s two Pacific North games against Life West as a marker. The first meeting was a two-point win, and the final was a convincing one.
Half of this year’s team competed for the Seattle Saracens last year, and one 2016 member – Kristine Sommer – is currently in Ireland competing at the Women’s Rugby World Cup. The squad includes two capped Eagles in Megan Sanders, who drew special praise from Staniford, and halfback Anne Peterson, and pool player Chelsey Birgisdottir, who has a killer stride. Jennine Duncan has also worn the USA Falcons 7s jersey this season, and we’re eager to see how the crossover athlete has grown in the game.
But like any successful outing, it’s built on a cohesive team, and Seattle Atavus has a well working squad to go far this nationals.
NOVA might have the most familiar lineup in the whole tournament. Even with players in the collegiate ranks, every member is a known entity, and nine of 12 players from 2016 have returned. Like San Diego, NOVA has competed in every 7s national championship, has never finished lower than sixth, and that consistency is reflected in its lineup.
Meganne Atkins is the captain and she heads the veteran group that includes Eagles Lauren Hoeck and Erica Cavanaugh, and age-grade products Nicole Benedetti, Ariel Johnson and Bri Kim. There are the UVA standouts like Frankie Beller, who was one of our favorite collegiate flyhalves out there; Summer Harris-Jones, whom we missed during the spring 15s post-season (injury); and Joy Jefferson, a smaller and powerful wing who can turn the corner for tries.
NOVA has longevity in its coaching as well, with Dana Creager at the helm. The team spent the summer testing itself against Mid-Atlantic and reigning national champion Scion Rugby Academy, and fending off the continuously improving Philadelphia and D.C. Furies during the qualifier season. It also competed in important friendly tournaments like Cape Fear 7s, which drew top teams like ARPTC.
NOVA’s Nicole Benedetti / Photo: Meredith Nelson, Mean Photography
The NOVA vs. Seattle Atavus match should be a good one, but Pool D is especially competitive, and we’re not looking past anyone in this group. Minneapolis is essentially the Youngbloodz with the same player pool. Sevens Olympian Katie Johnson is coaching the team and explained that the name change was a move to be more professional and attractive to sponsors.
During the first Midwest qualifier, the team lost Rachel Lentsch and Kristin Zdanczewicz to injury, and long-timer Sylvia Braaten had relocated to California in preparation for the Women’s Rugby World Cup. All three players had anchored that squad, and that put a good kind of pressure on players to rally around new leadership.
“The girls just took a deep breath, had fun in Cincinnati and pulled it off,” Johnson reflected on the turning point for the team. “They just realized what their potential was. They’re a bunch of kids who really depended on leaders, and then they had to step into those shoes. It was cool to see them step up and step together.”
Minneapolis captain Kaelene Lundstrum in the tackle. / Photo: Amy Kish
Kaelene Lundstrum is no rookie and she captains the team. Johnson likes the former Eagle’s positive attitude, “which is all the team needs to succeed,” the coach said. Katana Howard is also a major on-field presence, as is Bailey Johnson, and there are quality collegiate reps in players like Penn State’s Ellie Fromstein and Winona State’s Megan Wolff and Lanoira Duhart.
“There are two girls right now just blowing me out of the water: Marisa Hall and Cecilia Hammond,” Johnson said of the local products who now attend Lindenwood and St. Benedict, respectively. “These two girls are just stepping up and leading by example instead of trying to over-communicate.”
The team formerly known as Youngbloodz is the Midwest runner-up, has competed in five national tournaments, and half of the team has big-show experience.
Orlando’s Agnes Fuerst / Photo: Meredith Nelson, Mean Photography
South champion Orlando also has good consistency in its lineup. Eight of 11 players heading to Minnesota were on last year’s team, and this group has been working together for a couple of years now. The club retains a healthy relationship with the University of Central Florida (UCF), and top performers like Jackie Edge and Cortney Kuehl, who distinguished themselves during the collegiate championship season, are back on the 7s pitch.
Several players are also active members of the Florida High Performance Program, led by Evan Haigh, and get additional elite 7s training during the year. Haigh co-coaches the Orlando 7s team with Orlando 15s and UCF coach Raoul Besse.
The team will lean on Cassidy Davis as captain, as well as veteran Jesenia Torres, who had missed out on the South championship campaign. Watch for Stephanie Browne and USA Falcon Jessica Warner, who only need a half gap to slip past the defense and pull away for long-range tries.
The 2017 tournament is Orlando’s third-straight appearance at nationals, and it looks to improve upon its 11th-place finish in 2016. The games kick off at 10:00 a.m. Central, and all matches will be live-streamed via The Rugby Channel.
POOL D SCHEDULE
(all times Central)
10:00 a.m. Seattle v Minneapolis (field 2)
10:20 a.m. NOVA v Orlando (field 2)
1:00 p.m. Atavus Seattle v Orlando (stadium)
1:20 p.m. NOVA v Minneapolis (stadium)
4:20 p.m. Atavus Seattle v NOVA (stadium)
4:20 p.m. Minneapolis v Orlando (field 2)
Click here to view the full pool play schedule.