LVI College 7s Teams and Picks
LVI College 7s Teams and Picks
Arkansas State is looking for another 7s title. Steve Zomberg photo.
The Las Vegas Invitational has been allowed to reinstate its men’s college 7s competition as a qualifier for the Collegiate Rugby Championships invitational in June.
This was a hugely successful aspect of the CRC in 2011-2012, with Central Washington and Life University winning huge brackets to make the tournament in Chester, Pa., and also allowing every college team in the country to believe that they could make it to the exclusive invitational event.
But midway through the registration process for the 2013 tournament, the LVI’s parent company, USA Sevens (now United World Sports) changed the LVI College 7s to a non-qualifier. The result was predictable - teams pulled out, and in 2014 the competition shrank further. This year, the qualifier was reinstated, and the slate of 24 teams is full - this despite the fact that overseas colleges are not eligible and there is an eight-team non-qualifier college bracket, as well.
The popularity of the qualifier is perhaps proof that the decision to remove the qualifier was a bad one. Certainly the decision to reinstate it has been justified.
So here’s the list of teams, and our picks for favorites to earn a spot at the CRC in June.
Top Contenders
Arkansas State
American International College
Dartmouth
Kutztown
Air Force
Utah
Arkansas State has won USA Rugby’s national championship twice. They have the horses to win this one, too, and those horses are mostly big ol' Percherons. Both Dartmouth and Kutztown are expected to be in the CRC anyway, so they’re in Vegas because they want the competition, which is admirable. Dartmouth’s top player is going to be in the stadium with the national team, so that’s tough for them. If Rob Stortz and Nu’u Aiava are healthy, KU will be a handful.
You know we like Air Force’s approach, but they are yet to put it all together in 7s. Utah is always good, and they have some excellent playmaking experience plus some inexperienced power runners. But the team to really be scared of, I think, is AIC. They won the ACRC 7s last season and they were young and didn’t know what they were doing then.
Watch Out
Miami (Ohio)
Notre Dame University
Lindenwood
Oklahoma
Bowling Green
Notre Dame College
Notre Dame (the one in South Bend, Ind.) is getting game time as they play in the CRC every year. There’s a stronger commitment to prepare for 7s earlier at Notre Dame, and this is the first step toward that. All of these teams are good, with lots of plusses, and a “but” in there. Miami just has to get back to that wild open-field game they had three years ago. Notre Dame College (the one in Euclid, Ohio) is young but very talented with some rugby intelligence. Bowling Green needs a game-breaker. Lindenwood has all the ingredients, but doesn’t play a ton of 7s, and might have some hiccups along the way.
For Oklahoma, this could be the most important weekend for them, as they had a contentious coaching change over the winter break. There’s some concern about everyone coming together in one big rugby-hug. That’s OK, it can happen here. The players travel and play together and if they do well, that will help them going forward.
Dark Horses
Stony Brook
St. Joseph’s
Columbia
James Madison
Wheeling Jesuit
Pittsburgh
One of these teams will break out and beat one of the teams listed in the above two categories. I am betting on St. Joe’s, or JMU.
Hey, You Never Know
Creighton
Lewis & Clark
Wittenberg
Buffalo
Claremont Colleges
Georgetown
I played against Lewis & Clark once. Got into a cussing match with my opposite number, which, now that I think about it, is exactly what he wanted. Played against Buffalo, too. Would have scored if I fended a tackler. Instead kicked ahead, and the ball rolled dead …
Goff Rugby Report will give you our best and brightest reporting on this tournament when it happens.
Oh, and here’s the list of teams for the men’s college non-qualifier.
Men's Open College 7s
1. University of Regina
2. Univ. of Texas
3. Regis University
4. Bermuda
5. Univ. of British Columbia
6. Duke University
7. Ithaca College
8. Brock Badgers
UBC in a walk.
