The Big 10 conference is hosting a four-tournament 7s series that is now halfway through its schedule after competitions at Michigan and Penn State. The remaining legs will be held April 29 at Notre Dame and May 6 at Rutgers, and the champion will be named on total standings points.
RELATED: Potential 7s Qualifiers Continue • Women’s Rugby Results: April 8-9 • DI College Spring Rankings
The series began on April 1 with the Wolverine 7s, which included five Big 10 teams and DII Davenport (Michigan and Davenport fielded A and B sides). Host Michigan and Davenport met during the first game of the day and it turned out to be a preview of the final, as the Wolverines triumphed 19-14. Women’s Collegiate All-American 7s player Alena Olsen and Meg Melton scored five tries apiece on the day, and they combined for 12 conversions to lead on the scoreboard.
In the final round of play, Michigan defeated Davenport 17-12 for the title; Notre Dame blanked Ohio State 17-0 for third; Indiana edged Michigan State 20-19 for 5th; and Michigan B beat Davenport B 20-15 for 7th. (See all the scores here)
Last Sunday, Penn State and Rutgers joined the second leg in State College, Pa., while Notre Dame and Michigan State abstained. Six sides participated (Rutgers entered two sides), making for some creative knockout scenarios.
Two pools of three teams contested pool play games, and then the field was reseeded 1-6. Top seed Penn State earned a bye to the final after a 73-0 win over #6 Rutgers 2. Rutgers 1 beat Indiana 57-0, and Michigan beat Ohio State 38-5, setting up a final’s play-in match between the two victors. The Wolverines bested Rutgers 25-10 (Rutgers thus finished third) for a championship berth against Penn State.
The Nittany Lions dominated the day and the final was no different. The host took a 43-point lead into the break and ended with a 69-5 victory over Michigan. Tess Feury, Gabby Cantorna, Rachel Ehrecke and Carly Waters had multiple tries in the final, but with a day that included 275 points scored and five against, the full roster contributed to the output.
There is still uncertainty as to which tournaments have been approved as automatic qualifiers (AQs) for the USA Rugby College 7s National Championship. Both the Wolverine 7s and Penn State 7s tournaments are listed under “applications received” on USA Rugby’s College 7s site, but that lists includes events that have already been denied AQ status. That said, both Michigan and Penn State have confirmed a desire to participate in USA Rugby’s championship, which is hosting a 12-team open division this year.
PENN STATE 7s
POOL PLAY
Penn State 66-0 Rutgers 2
Penn State 51-0 Michigan
Michigan 59-0 Rutgers 2
Rutgers 1 22-12 Ohio State
Rutgers 1 50-0 Indiana
Ohio State 36-0 Indiana
#2 Rutgers 1 57-0 #5 Indiana
#4 Michigan 38-5 #3 Ohio State
#1 Penn State 73-0 #6 Rutgers 2
Ohio State 37-0 Indiana
4th Place
Ohio State 19-0 Rutgers 2
Finals’ Play-In
Michigan 25-10 Rutgers 1
Final
Penn State 69-5 Michigan
Final Finish1st: Penn State
2nd: Michigan
3rd: Rutgers
4th: Ohio State
5th: Rutgers 2
6th: Indiana
#Big10 PennState #Michigan