Life’s Kaitlyn Broughton is with Old Blue this summer. /// Photo courtesy Old Blue Women’s RFC •
The club 7s national championship occurs this weekend in Commerce City, Colo., and the women are competing toward their sixth national championship. The top two teams from each of the four pools advance to the Cup quarterfinals, and pools A and B will play each other in the knockouts. Here’s a preview of Pools A and B, and who we expect to advance.
POOL A
This group contains two National Development Academies (NDAs), essentially, and they’re favored to move onto the Cup quarterfinals (read a more detailed piece on the three NDAs competing at nationals). American Rugby Pro Training Center (ARPTC) is a known entity now, and returns six players from last year’s championship-winning team. They’re complimented by four collegians and two New Zealanders. The Little Rock, Ark., side encountered little resistance in the Red River but ventured to Cape Fear for a nice tune-up against Scion. Jess Wooden is the one to watch, boasting the most international experience, and the Kiwis, of course, draw interest.
Old Blue cruised through the Northeast but got a good fight out of Boston in the final. Eleven of 12 players are also Northeast Academy players, and there is a lot of crossover in coaching and strategies between the two entities. Tiana Stroughter is the captain and bridges the gap between the very experienced and the eight college-aged players, which include All-Americans and DI varsity players (read more).
The Youngbloodz have always fielded a solid side, and the Minnesota-based team was the first place where national audiences watched Olympics alumna Katie Johnson first play 7s. Captained by Rachel Lentsch and coached by Chalie Baleirara, the Youngbloodz have the personnel to do well, but finished a distant second to the Chicago Griffins in the Midwest final.
Florida’s Phoenix is a second-summer team and contains many local college players. They took the vacated South #2 seed after runner-up Charlotte dropped out. They’re not only looking to build some notoriety for the young program but also looking for redemption after a disappointing showing at Souths.
POOL B
A deserving Cup quarterfinalist out of this group will be omitted from the final eight, earning our vote for most difficult draw. There aren’t as many question marks in this quartet and all four teams advanced through traditional series and championships.
We’re going with Seattle and Chicago Griffins to advance out of this pool. The Saracens spent the Pacific Northwest season battling ORSU, and then faced excellent competition at the Pacific North championship two weekends ago – specifically a 10-7 win over the absent Life West. Captain Anne Peterson leads a team looking to advance one step farther than the #2 finish it earned in 2012 and 2015. Ashley Kmiecik, Kelsi Stockert and Megan Sanders are all powerful veterans with finishing ability, but Seattle is a round side that is familiar with high-pressure games.
The Griffins are a first-year team, but the core players hail from Chicago North Shore and previously populated the Chicago Lions’ summer roster. Kadie Sanford is the power in the scrum and in tight, halfbacks Lizzy Bristow and Lauren Trout control the attack, while Brittany Biedenbender is the speed on the wing. The Griffins won the Midwest, the third-consecutive tournament win for the group, signaling that everything was coalescing into a unit. Coach Greg Doolan is behind the scenes, and he talked more about the team’s evolution this summer here.
NOVA is one of three teams that has qualified for every national championship, and that’s because the Virginia side remains committed to the abbreviated version of the game. This summer was a rebuilding one, and co-captains Kathryn Hemlock and Kelley Frank have done well to get youthful talent like Collegiate All-American Nicole Benedetti (who heads to the WCAA 7s camp after nationals) and UVA powers Summer Harris-Jones and Joy Jefferson playing the NOVA way of 7s.
Atlantic North runner-up Boston made its debut at club 7s nationals last year and finished 16th. The team also had the most difficult draw, playing against eventual finalists ARPTC and Seattle, and Scion during pool play. Fortunately, Boston can only improve in its sophomore year, and if it has difference-makers Morgan and Tara Roberts, as well as Deanna Nash and Stacey Markovic, then Boston will hold its own.
During the Cup quarterfinals, the Pool A winner will play Pool B runner-up, and Pool B winner will play Pool A runner-up. Predictions: ARPTC vs. Chicago Griffins and Seattle vs. Old Blue.
Nationals kicks off Saturday, Aug. 13 in Commerce City, Colo. Stay tuned for Pools C & D previews later today.
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