The Pacific Northwest Rugby Referees Society showed their support for the series of college 7s tournaments in the region this fall with a strong panel of elite officials for the four weeksn of action.

In total, 4 states were represented among the 17 referees appointed to the six-event set, with one – Idaho’s Brett Johnson – set to officiate at four tournaments, and two – Oregon’s Carrissa Hsieh and Chad Douglas – set to officiate at three tournaments.

Douglas is a seasoned campaigner and Hsieh recently completed a vigorous summer series, while other referees familiar to the series are Val Burns (Oregon), Erik Goheen (Washington), Michelle Knurr (Washington), Chris Nesmith (Washington).

There are also some newcomers in Nick Cutrell (Oregon) and Jeremy Torres (Washington), as well as the addition of past National Development Panel Referee Gavin Curtis (Oregon).

The remainder of the squad include two from Utah – Ivan LePendu and Tasi Toala; two from Idaho – Mark Kubinski and Pat Wickman; and one from Washington – Jeff Hiatt.

These collective appointments are the third set of appointments to the Fall Pacific Northwest Collegiate 7’s Tournaments since the initial tournaments in 2012.

PNRRS 7’s Development Director David Pelton said: "We have a strong crew this fall with the majority having worked the summer Pacific Northwest Tournaments in some capacity. We have referees who have been at the national stage, and six who are just getting some of their first tastes of the national stage. With rugby’s return to the Olympic Games less than 2 years away, players, coaches and match officials will all be working hard to perform at the highest level with aspirations of one day setting foot on that stage. We hope that the performances seen at these tournaments will help them on that path.”

Rugby Sevens continues to grow with more age groups creating dedicated seasons to hone their seven’s skills. PNRRS is committed to ensuring excellence across all match officials and enabling referees to perform under increasing scrutiny and physical pressure.

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