Photo: Amy Kish •
Saturday’s Rock Hard 7s serves as the final qualifier before the Midwest club 7s championship and reunites the six teams vying for the region’s two seeds to nationals. Each participant has competed in two of three qualifiers thus far, and only three standings points separate the number one club from the sixth. Saturday’s results will determine seeding into the Midwest championship on July 30.
1823 (22 pts.) tops the Midwest standings and headlines Pool B. The Ohio-based team won the first Midwest qualifier, Madtown 7s, on June 18, followed with a third-place finish at Rock ‘n’ Roll 7s, and then won the Steel City 7s, a non-series tournament, last weekend in Pittsburgh.
The two Chicago teams – Lions and first-year Griffins – are also in Pool B. The Griffins (20 pts.) won its first-ever qualifier last weekend – the Duck 7s, a four-team bracket that included two Youngbloodz sides and the University of Iowa. College players comprise a third of the CIPP roster, while Chicago North Shore summer transfers like Eagle Christiane Pheil, Lauren Trout and Lizzy Bristow inject a ton of experience.
The Chicago Lions (19 pts.) have their share of North Shore players, too – like Gabby Whittinghill and her great boot, and Charli Jacoby (pictured), who distinguished herself during the DI club final. The team’s led by coach Jeremy Nash and it trained with the American Rugby Pro Training Center last weekend. The Lions finished third and fourth, respectively, in the first two Midwest qualifiers.
The Youngbloodz (21 pts.) are ranked first in Pool A and have the potential to field a deadly side. The CIPP roster is packed with senior club stars – long-timers like Sylvia Braaten, Kristin Zdanczewicz and Kaelene Lundstrum, to the younger generation like Jacie Vonada and Bailey Johnson, among many others. The roster dips even younger in players like Winona State standout Megan Wolff and Armstrong high schooler Haylee Thull, who’s been playing all-star ball for years. It all depends on who makes the trip to Michigan.
The host side, Grand Rapids (20 pts.), is in the best position to put up its top side. The Gazelles are like a Davenport University reunion. Alumni like Jennifer Harig, Cassie Clark and Brittany O’Dell help buoy the club during 15s, and then a swath of Panthers transfer for the summer. The team inherited All-American Danielle Ordway and NASC players Brenna Donahue and Allison Miedzielec, captain Julia Mayer, and the boot of Hannah Tennant, among other players who helped Davenport to DII 15s and 7s championships this year. They’re young, but they know how to win.
Rounding out Pool A is Cincinnati, which cannot be overlooked. After finishing last at Madtown 7s, the Ohio side turned around to win the Rock ‘n’ Roll 7s. Cincinnati isn’t bursting with big-time names, but like 1823 has proven thus far, that’s not a prerequisite for success.
For more information on pools and schedules at Rock Hard 7s, click here.
What else is happening in the world of women’s club 7s? (Read the most recent general update)
• Austin Valkyries are looking to take that second seed from the Red River to nationals
• The Pacific North argues its case for a third seed to nationals
• NOVA tests itself against Scion in build toward nationals
Midwest #Club7s