Bloomsburg Unblemished at MARC 7s

The Mid-Atlantic Rugby Conference (MARC) pooled 12 teams together for the first of its women's college 7s series, and DII Bloomsburg finished the day with a perfect record and tournament trophy. It was quite the accomplishment for a team that has played in only one 7s tournament previous to Saturday’s title run.

“This year, with the team moving up to DII and the MARC, we knew we were going to move to a fall 15s and spring 7s season,” Bloomsburg coach Kevin Castner said. “Overall the players have really taken to 7s and playing rugby in general. They show up early and stay late. We as a group are always looking to improve our basics, ballhandling, communication, fitness, and overall teamwork. This helps us build our overall depth no matter what style of rugby we are playing.”

Bloomsburg went 3-0 during pool play, defeating Shippensburg, Drexel, and Millersville 64-5. Kutztown had an equally impressive morning, shutting out Scranton, York College, and St. Joseph’s while scoring 67 points. The Cup semifinals pit Bloomsburg against Delaware (2-1), and Kutztown against Scranton (2-1), and both of those matches were thrillers. Kutztown escaped a 10-5 contest in double overtime, while Bloomsburg beat Delaware 19-12.

But Bloomsburg turned it on in the final and held Kutztown, a DII final four team in the fall, to no points.

“We were able to build off of each match, learning what went well and where we could continue to improve,” Castner said. “Two points that stood out for us were our defensive structure that helped throughout the day and the depth of our roster. Anyone on our 7s roster could be on the field and there would not be a drop in skill level. The strength of the teams in this tournament was very strong, and we were happy to be standing on top at the end.”

Bloomsburg is enjoying very good numbers during the spring 7s season, as more than 30 players routinely train throughout the week. The team will continue to develop at East Stroudsburg, where the second installment of the MARC 7s will occur. Castner is also hoping to test the team at a higher level.

“We would love to earn an invite for the ACRA championship,” Castner said of the May 2-3 event at West Point, N.Y. “That is something the team is working hard to make a reality. Budget restrictions would make it very hard if we were given an invite to the USA Rugby 7s nationals.”