Colgate is the reigning NSCRO 7s national champion. / Photo: Anne-Marie Lemal Brown
The National Small College Rugby Organization (NSCRO) will name the majority of its National 7s Championship competitors after this weekend’s conference championships and at-large berth deadline. Sixteen teams will feature in the April 28-29 tournament, which returns to Founders Field in Pittsburgh.
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NSCRO Women’s Commissioner Bryn Chivers circulated qualifying information to conference administrators well in advance of the tournament, so leagues knew if they had an automatic qualifier to nationals or had to apply for at-large berths. When it comes to 7s, that road map and transparency aren’t givens.
The nine conferences listed below have automatic qualifier spots. Berth-awarding championships and series are still underway, but Chivers indicated that several teams have confirmed their plans for Pittsburgh:
Allegheny: Cal Univ. of Pennsylvania (Pa.)
Eastern Penn – TBD
Mid-Atlantic: York College (Pa.)
Ohio Valley – TBD
Northeast* – TBD
Prairie States: Wayne State College (Neb.)
Rocky Mountain: Colorado College (Colo.)
Tri-State – TBD 4/22
Upstate New York – TBD
* The Northeast includes teams from the Colonial Coast, Rugby Northeast and New England, and is a pilot league built by Chip Auscavitch. Bentley is the current leader. Ideally, both Auscavitch and Chivers want to see this league serve as a regular season that precedes individual conference championships.
Independent Lee University (Tenn.), the Gold Coast’s Claremont College (Calif.), and Prairie States runner-up Simpson College all received at-large berths, leaving four additional berths to be announced.
The deadline for at-large applications is Sunday, April 15 at 6 p.m. EST, and teams will be notified of invitations no latter than Monday, April 16 at noon EST.