Dana Meschisi / Photo: Colleen McCloskey
Scion has been a leading contender for the USA Rugby Club 7s National Championship since its creation, and 2018 is no different. The Sirens won the Mid-Atlantic Conference (MAC) to take the top seed out of the region, but the D.C.-based 7s program did not emerge from the series unscathed.
Scion won the first two MAC 7s qualifiers, and then the D.C. Furies defeated the Sirens in the third qualifier’s final to finish second in the region overall.
“It was the best thing that could have happened to us,” Scion coach and founder Joanne Liu said. “As coaches, we can try to instill in them that it’s never enough. They’ve got to keep preparing. But until they feel it for themselves, it’s not real, so to speak.
“They were immediately disappointed in themselves and then were able to analyze and find the explanations for why they failed,” Liu continued. “They went back and fixed it, and there’s been a reinvigorated motivation for nationals.”
That vigor has been tested. The final MAC qualifier occurred on July 16. The Rugby World Cup Sevens (San Francisco), WPL All-Star Game (Denver) and USA 15s high performance camp (Chula Vista) then followed, leaving no room for additional 7s competitions.
Kimber Rozier / Photo: Colleen McCloskey
“Right now it’s about maintaining health and fitness and keeping composure,” Liu said with an eye toward players switching between 7s and 15s this summer. “One of the biggest things the girls build through this compacted season is team chemistry. They’ve been separated for a while now and will have to come back together five days before nationals. They’ll need to recover, find that team chemistry and perform.”
It helps that Lauren Rhode is the on-field captain, and notable veterans like Kiki Morgan (who is returning to Aon Uni 7s in Australia along with Scion alumna Abby Gustaitis), Emily Fulbrook and Maggie Myles are leading the way for another young Sirens squad. The college-aged players are talented, tested and hail from NIRA (Nate Serevi, Flora Poole), DI Elite (AnnaKaren Pedraza), NSCRO (Ally Gallagher) and more, and played across two Scion teams this summer.
Nate Serevi / Photo: Colleen McCloskey
Scion will compete in Pool D alongside ARPTC Blue (the Academy’s top side), Midwest runner-up Metropolis (based in the Minneapolis region) and Atlantic North runner-up Boston. Fellow MAC teams D.C. Furies and NOVA will compete in Pools A and C, respectively.
“I’m super excited that these three teams are going to represent our conference at nationals,” Liu said. “[The final qualifier] was a great showcase of what the MAC has to offer and just how good the Furies and NOVA are. The Furies have some really great athletes and they really came on strong in that tournament and clearly wanted it.”
For more information on club 7s nationals, visit www.usaclub7s.com. Here’s the schedule too: click here.
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