It’s been a busy 30 days for Women’s Cougar Rugby. From Albuquerque, to Pittsburgh, to Colorado Springs, BYU has kept its bags perpetually packed during the post-season. The Provo, Utah, team ended its quest for a DI 15s title two weekends ago, and quickly switched to 7s for last weekend’s Piper Cup, a national 7s qualifier held at the Air Force Academy.

The tournament was the culmination of a Rocky Mountain 7s series that, among other things, brought smaller colleges and programs together for meaningful competition, while also exposing them to higher-level squads for improvement. Air Force established itself as the circuit leader, but BYU was unable to participate due to its 15s post-season. Therefore, last weekend’s qualifier was the first 7s tournament in which BYU played since February’s Las Vegas Invitational, and the Cougars didn't need much time to find its 7s step.

“Our first game was a little bit of a tough transition,” BYU captain Nicole McCullough said of the opening game against Western State (Colo.). “It's hard to go from having 15 girls in the defensive line to seven girls, all while trying to defend the same sized field.

“It's also a transition to stay out of contact and do your best to offload the ball,” McCullough added. “I was a little concerned coming into the game that we might have more of a 15s mentality, but I was  impressed with how we pulled the ball out and swung it to the opposite side of the field. This worked well to test the opposition’s defense and came more naturally than I expected.”

BYU beat Western State 43-0, and then won its pool after a 59-0 win over Colorado State. The Cougars retained its shutout during the semifinals, putting down Montana State 52-0. While an impressive team effort, the box scores repeated a few names.

“Chanel Johnston had an outstanding weekend,” McCullough said of the tournament MVP and her 10 tries. “She is a speedy lady!

“Jordan Gray was the key playmaker,” the captain said. “Her ability to draw and pass broke the defensive line on multiple occasions. And Justina Grubb pressured the kickoffs and caused several key turnovers that were converted into tries.”

The aforementioned featured frequently in the box scores, as did Ali Smith, Dana Mortensen, and McCullough. By the time BYU entered the title bout against also-undefeated Air Force, the Cougars were spreading well on defense and communicating efficiently across the field.

“We did a great job of staying composed and being patient for the holes to open up in the defensive line,” McCullough said. “We were able to swing the ball very effectively and that really opened things up.”

BYU beat Air Force 37-0 for the title, and scored 191 unanswered points during the two days.

BYU has yet to confirm whether it will take its automatic berth to the USA Rugby College 7s Championship, but given that it’s a Saturday-Sunday event, it’s unlikely that the Cougars will be able to participate. Runner-up Air Force has a conflict – the Academy Ring Dance – the weekend of nationals, but those senior players are currently trying to be released from the mandatory event. If successful, then Air Force will be able to accept the berth.

In other news, Texas won the final national qualifier over Texas Tech last weekend, and both teams will be advancing to the 7s championship on May 23-24 in Denver.