Men's DII College 7s Championships - Our Picks
Men's DII College 7s Championships - Our Picks
Well this is a very good, and very deep, Men's DII College 7s Championships field.
Sixteen teams are in action, adding to the 24 in the Men's DI, it makes 40 teams in men's rugby alone. Not bad. Here is how we see the pools.
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Pool AWisconsin-Whitewater Texas San Antonio Coast Guard Academy UNC-Wilmington OK so we’ll talk about who is playing for 2nd, first. Wilmington can run and have some talent such as Tom McCrimmon, Cole Schanelic, and James Hall. watch out for Scott Dennard, who is 6-6 but has open field skills. Texas San Antonio will have a tough time, we think, but they do have some strong players, such as Ryan Rackley, Dylan Forbes, and Riley Mason. Coast Guard showed well last year and kept up the momentum in 7s. But it’s all about who is available as the students might be required elsewhere. They are fit and strong and powerful in contact. And playing for 1st? We can’t see Wisconsin-Whitewater not winning this pool. They are just so talented. Sure Alec Treuthardt is fast and Eric Pachowitz is a rangy, multi-skilled player, and Robby Sindic is hard to bring down. All of that is true, but we haven’t really begun to talk about this team They are stacked, can defend, and work together. The guy to really watch out for, split infinitives and all, is Garrett Shibiliski (pictured right), who is a speedy, talented hooker who can play in the open field. We really like him. Our pick: Whitewater. Probably Coast Guard for 2nd, although Wilmington could easily get there. |
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Pool BMinnesota-Duluth Niagara Principia Tulane Tulane have played their best rugby in 7s tournaments, and have a ton of players with experience and skill. Niagara isn’t well-known because they play all the way out there in Western NY, but led by Matt Coles, Joe Fumerelle, Mahmoud Zeidan, and Zanaid Marra, they are fit and should be able to hang in every game they’re in. That could well be enough. Principia love to move the ball, and maybe they love it a bit too much. They can explode for points, or find themselves scrambling to repair some damage. Either way, they’re fun to watch. Minnesota-Duluth is the defending 15s champion team, and while part of their 15s style is a bruising game up front, they can play 7s, too. They will want their big guys to be especially big, and maybe if the likes of Andrew Buntrock (right, Henry Elholm photo) can win restarts, other teams will be in trouble. Luc Desroches is a powerful runner, and Trace Bolstad is very skills. His kicking could also be the key. Our pick: Has to be Duluth in 1st. 2nd is a tougher pick. We’re going to go with Tulane, but it could be any of the other three. |
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Pool CSt. Louis University Wisconsin-Eau Claire Lindenwood-Belleville UMass-Lowell Eau-Claire has won tournaments and runs out a senior-heavy team with plenty of experience. St. Louis did surprisingly well last season in the DII 7s Championships and return several players from that group, led by Joseph Mazur, Kevin Reilly, Dylan Vu, and Ryan Guercio. A third of UMass-Lowell’s team is all-conference in 15s, with Matt Charest being the conference final MVP. Watch out for freshman Zack Smithers, a former US Marine who served on President Oabama’s security detail (no joke). Take them lightly at your peril. Lindenwood-Belleville (pictured right, David Barpal photo)is full of freshmen and sophomores, but they’ve played in a bunch of DI tournaments, and already went far in the DII 15s playoffs. They can run, have converted a couple of players from other sports - Seif Shoukry, Khalil Hattley, and Kristian Poletti - and they are not intimidated by anyone. The Lynx are not even a dark horse, they are a legitimate contender. Our pick: Lindenwood-Belleville. The question for this group is, can they keep it up for Day Two? Second place? We kinda think it might be Lowell. |
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Pool DSalisbury Rowan The Citadel Salve Regina Salisbury was a top four 15s team in DII and this team has added in George Van Hove, who is new to the team but their 7s MVP. Blake Carroll and Prince Eyo are some longtime contributors to Salisbury rugby, and then the addition of Jerome Johnson, who played football at Salisbury for three years, gives them a nice injection. They could be very dangerous. Salve Regina, led by their tall, imposing halfback Alex Dimauro, might struggle with size, but their ability to play as a unit is impressive. Rowan can play but will need to make sure they keep out of too much contact. The Citadel (pictured right, David Barpal photo) have shown they can compete at a high level. Alex MacDonald is the captain and a player who can break off massive runs. Austin Bannister is also a powerful presence - he plays lock in 15s - and Doug Brown is aggressive in the breakdown. Our pick: Salisbury. They are very solid athletically. The Citadel will likely be 2nd. |
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Right now Whitewater looks like the best team here, but it’s 7s, and last year we didn’t think JMU would do it all, and they did, so be prepared for some surprises.
