ACRA 7s Championships This Weekend

The ACRA 7s championships are being held this weekend in West Point, N.Y., and action of field 1 will be live-streamed both days.

Five East Coast teams comprise the DI championship, with defending champ Norwich leading the way. The Cadets are 57-0 in 7s, a record that has stood for the previous four years, when Norwich began playing the game. Senior leadership from players like Emily Oor, Hannah Bell, and Sophie Mundell mesh well with freshmen talents Illona Maher and Frankie Sands.

But that’s not to say that Norwich has gone unchallenged this season. Last weekend, the Cadets held off a much improved American International College during the Chris Munn 7s final, winning 26-17. And at the Varsity 7s, Army was leading Norwich 21-17 until the final play of the championship match, when Oor set up Sands for the game-ending try.

Navy and Harvard round out the bracket, which is missing the Midwest representation that was present last year (also the first year for the 7s championships). 2014 DI finalist Rutgers is also absent, having opted for the USA Rugby Championship instead.

The move of the national college 7s championship from the fall to the spring presented a conflict for many teams, and ACRA DII reigning champion Notre Dame College will not be present in New York. The Falcons are a special case, as the Ohio team is playing its 15s national championship next weekend before heading to Denver two weekends later for the 7s title.

With Notre Dame College out of the picture, room has been made for a new ACRA DII titleholder, and an able cast of eight is ready to fight it out. Pool A is composed of Rugby Northeast (RNE) champ and ’14 finalist Stonehill College, MARC runner-up Kutztown, Tri-State #3 Vassar, and Army B. Pool B is led by Davenport, the lone Midwest rep, Tri-State #2 Stony Brook, MARC champ Bloomsburg, and RNE #2 St. Anselm.

It’s tough to call favorites in DII, as there hasn’t been much league crossover, but top-ranked Stonehill and Davenport have put heavy emphasis on 7s this spring and have the talent to play a wide-open, skilled game. Stonehill has the incomparable Sarah Buonopane leading the way, along with fellow senior Ashley Motta, junior Amanda Montanari, and freshman finisher extraordinaire A.J. Luther. The Massachusetts team did get some push-back during the conference championship and challenged themselves against DI teams like Norwich and Boston University.

The Panthers have played a lot of DI competition and are coming off a Big Ten 7s runner-up performance. Davenport beat Ferris State, Lindenwood, Michigan and Ohio State before losing to champs Penn State. The team welcomed back Danielle Ordway, who led the way with eight tries. Fellow All American Ashlee Byrge added 30 points on four tries and five conversions.

But per the nature of 7s, there will be upsets, and it'll be worth the watch. Click here to watch the action Saturday, and here for Sunday coverage. NSCRO will also be hosting its 7s championship (read more). See below for the schedule.