The Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC) 7s has announced the pools for the women’s Small College division. Twelve teams are heading to the Maryland SportsPlex in Boyds, Md., with pool play occurring on Friday, April 28. Most of those games and the quarterfinals occur on fields 13 and 10, and the semifinals and final will occur inside the stadium on Saturday, April 29. Schedule will populate here.
POOL A
Endicott College – Beverly, Mass.
Univ. South Dakota – Vermillion, S.D.
Colby College – Waterville, Maine
Endicott College won the Colonial Coast 7s championship last weekend (see Mike Conners’ photos below) and is certainly a title contender. The Gulls won the 15s national championship in the fall, and the 7s game gives notables like Tess Merrill, Caroline Stubbs, Jourdan VanAmburgh and many more the room to really do some damage.
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Colby College is also a conference champion, having won last weekend’s Rugby Northeast tournament at Stonehill College. Colby beat Middlebury 21-5 in the title match and takes the berth to D.C. The Univ. South Dakota didn’t have a conference to win, per se, but it returns to the championship as the 2022 runner-up. Last year’s final went into overtime, and the Univ. Chicago – which did not qualify this year – took the win. USD is back and hopefully bringing Trixie Jo Schlecter and Grace VanderZee, two really influential players who also stood out for the West Coast all-star 7s team.
POOL B
York College – York, Pa.
Ohio Wesleyan – Delaware, Ohio
Gannon Univ. – Erie, Pa.
These three teams all hail from different conferences, but this pool has the highest chance for crossover or general familiarity given their relative proximity from each other. York College leads the pool as Eastern Pennsylvania champion and brings with it 2023 All-Star 7s Championship MVP Saira Alexander. Ohio Wesleyan won the Ohio Valley 7s championship last weekend and has a core of four all-stars who competed in Texas in January. And Lexi Hulik is the jersey to watch with Gannon Univ., the Allegheny conference champion.
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POOL C
Lee University – Cleveland, Tenn.
Marywood Univ. – Scranton, Pa.
Colorado College – Colorado Spring, Colo.
This group also delights. South Atlantic champion Lee University is a long-time competitor at 7s nationals and it has added incentive to prevail in D.C. as head coach Chris Martin departs the Flames program after this season. Captain Siena Macy, Logyn Shollenberger, Alena Seaquist and Ava Zopf are all names you should know.
Marywood Univ. finished runner-up in Eastern Pennsylvania and heads to D.C. with a lot of spring 7s rugby behind it. Ciara Sharkey and Rosalyn Page are two really fun players, and they featured on the all-star-winning EPRU side this past January. Colorado College is an invitational team and it brings Small College representation out of the Rocky Mountain conference.
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POOL D
UW Platteville – Platteville, Wis.
St. Bonaventure Univ. – Bonaventure, N.Y.
Missouri Univ. S&T – Rolla, Mo.
Univ. Wisconsin Platteville took down 2022 national 7s champion Univ. Chicago for the Great Waters conference title last weekend. Riley Conner, Sophia Hammond and Ali Risley all bring that all-star effect to the pitch. The team will face Upstate New York conference champion St. Bonaventure Univ., which booked its spot at CRCs in early April. Tournament MVP Kyla Nentarz led the way with nine tries, six conversions and stellar defense. Finally, the Missouri University of Science and Technology debuts at the CRCs and does so as the Mid-America champ, having defeated Drury and Pitt State en route to the title. The Miners are a first-year team so cheer them on!
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