On April 16, AIC took the West Chester 7s cup against Army, Dartmouth, Norwich, Princeton, West Chester, Bloomsburg, and Kutztown, yet their 4-1 tournament record was not easily obtained.

As part of the Varsity 7s Series, the West Chester 7s housed some of the top varsity competition. DII non-varsity Bloomsburg and Kutztown were able to join the tournament due to the absence of other varsity teams to fill the empty spots. Even though neither Bloomsburg nor Kutztown left pool play with a victory, the DII teams believe the tournament was a good representation of where they stand next to their varsity opponents. It highlighted the work needed to have a successful 7s season.

Although a varsity team, West Chester also had some trouble against their competition. Which is to be expected, considering this is their first 7s season.

"We've constantly improved over the last six weeks, but so have the other teams in the series," West Chester coach Tony DeRemer said. "7s has a different approach than 15s which has been difficult for us to get accustomed to."

While West Chester held a record of 1-2 during pool play, it was AIC, Princeton, Army, and Norwich that proved to be top contenders last weekend. Norwich and Princeton entered the cup semifinals with a 3-0 record while Army and AIC were 2-1. While Princeton faced Army, Norwich battled AIC which lead to a surprising outcome.

Norwich had taken on Army earlier in the day, resulting in a 24-10 Norwich win, lending to their 3-0 pool play record. Princeton held the same record and had previously beaten AIC, yet it was Army that walked away with a 37-0 shutout during semifinals for Army, and AIC took the 31-7 win over Norwich. Then, AIC took the cup from Army by two tries and conversions. AIC's Bulou Mataitoga was named as the tournament MVP.

However, it was West Chester's Adriana Zeiders who proved particularly impressive throughout the day. Her strong stiff arm and quick sidestep literally left numerous players falling to the ground, puzzled, as they looked at the sky from their backs. Due to the Rams' lack of experience in 7s, their season hasn't been fulfilled with the success of their 15s season. Yet, players like Zeiders show that raw talent can eventually be honed to build a successful season. 

West Chester competed for the plate, yet lost to Kutztown who eventually fell to Dartmouth. Dartmouth left the West Chester 7s with a 3-1 record and the plate.

The Varsity 7s Series will continue this weekend on April 30 at West Point.

Pool Play

AIC v Dartmouth (24-19)
Princeton v Kutztown (22-10)
Norwich v Bloomsburg (19-12)
Army v West Chester (22-7)
Army 2 v Dartmouth 2 (27-10)
Princeton v AIC (14-12)
Norwich v Army (24-10)
Dartmouth v Kutztown (39-10)
West Chester v Bloomsburg (24-14)
Army 2 v Dartmouth 2 (27-10)
AIC v Kutztown (44-5)
Norwich v West Chester (34-5)
Princeton v Dartmouth (22-10)
Army v Bloomsburg (36-15)
Army 2 v Dartmouth 2 (15-0)
 

Cup Playoffs

Army v Princeton (37-0)
AIC v Norwich (31-7)

AIC v Army (26-12)
 

Plate Playoffs

Dartmouth v Bloomsburg (35-7)
Kutztown v West Chester (24-22)

Dartmouth v Kutztown (Unknown)