Earlier this week, USA Rugby announced a handful of automatic qualifiers (AQs) for the college 7s national championships on May 24-26, and noted that additional tournaments will be awarded qualifier status as the spring evolves. Day two of the Queens Cup 7s (Sunday, March 24) will name the second DI nationals-bound team, and the AQ has lured a quality lineup to Charlotte, N.C.
Iowa State has already qualified for the DI national championship (read more) and will represent the Midwest in Tucson, Ariz. The 2nd annual Queens Cup 7s will feature eight DI squads, mostly from the east coast, and will cap a two-day event that features men’s and women’s NSCRO/DII brackets as well as a high school girls’ division.
The eight-team DI qualifier division:
POOL A
University of North Carolina
Navy A
Indiana University
Virginia Tech
POOL B
Queens University of Charlotte
UVA
University of South Carolina
Navy B
Both Navy (independent) and Indiana (Big 10) play 15s in the fall and 7s in the spring, so this AQ fits nicely into the teams’ schedule. The remainder of the DI field competes in the DI Mason-Dixon conference, which is currently in-season and building toward the spring 15s championship, the finals of which occur May 3-4.
For the full Queens Cup 7s match schedule across all divisions, as well as live scores, click here. For more information on the event itself, check the event website.