USA Rugby looks to be set with their Men’s DI College 7s Championships field.

Saturday saw the final qualifier tournament, the Pacific Western Conference 7s, where non-conference participant St. Mary’s won, and Stanford finished highest among the conference teams.

So here’s the list of teams, and how they qualified:

• St. Mary’s - 2015 Plate Winner, Won Pacific Western 7s
• James Madison - 2015 DII Winner, won a Keystone and a Capital 7s Series tournament (precluded from winning Keystone series due to DIAA 15s playoffs)
• Wyoming - Won Rocky Mountain 7s 
• Lindenwood - 2015 DI Winner
• AIC - Won Armory 7s
• Fordham - Won Empire Series
• Arkansas - Won Heart of America
• Alabama - 5-1 at SEC 7s, finishing 3rd
• Kennesaw State - Won SIRC 7s
• Iowa - Won Big 10 Plate
• North Texas - Won SWC 7s
• San Diego State - Top 8 in 2015
• South Carolina - Won SIRC 7s
• Cal Poly - Applied as at-large, and awarded place based on history
• Texas A&M - Won Red River 
• Davenport - 2015 Runner-up
• Bowling Green - Won MAC 7s
• Oklahoma - Big XII Runner-up
• Arizona State - West Coast 7s Runner-up, 2015 Plate Runner-up
• West Virginia - Won Big XII
• St. Bonaventure - Won SBU 7s and NDC 7s
• Notre Dame College - Runner-up NDC 7s, LVI 7s
• Central Washington - Won NCRC 7s
• Stanford - Won Pacific West Plate, and was Top Conference qualifier
• New England College - At-large bid based on competitive results, including runner-up at Kutztown 7s

The qualification process for this tournament isn’t super-clear for some. Already GRR has learned that New England College has voiced its displeasure at being left out. NEC did not win a qualifier (the accomplishment of which would have rendered any debate moot), but came second twice, to AIC and St. Bonaventure, and recorded a win over Kutztown at the SBU 7s. 

However, NEC isn’t the only 2nd-place team not to book a place in Cary, as Gonzaga, Syracuse, Kansas State, Cincinnati, South Florida, Columbia, and Houston are all staying home.

USA Rugby has also been looking to maintain some geographic diversity in the tournament, recognizing as they do that some regions just don’t play 7s in the spring - hence Cal Poly and San Diego State getting bids.

Some regions or conferences are seeing their top team go to the CRC. This is the case with the Big Ten, which sees Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana attend the tournament in Chester, Pa. And with the next two-finishing teams, Ohio State and Illinois, not applying to Cary, it ends with Iowa, which won the Big Ten Plate, getting a spot.

All in all, of the 24 teams in the DI 7s Championships, three teams qualified based on how they finished in the 2015 tournament, 13 won qualifier brackets or won qualifier series. 

Of the remaining eight, one (James Madison) probably did enough by winning DII last year, and also was leading the Keystone Series but had a DIAA 15s playoff on the week of the final tournament. USA Rugby has a stated policy of not penalizing qualifiers because they are in 15s playoffs.

Iowa we’ve addressed. Notre Dame College also was in DIAA playoffs, and yet managed to finish second in two major tournaments, including one USA qualifier. They are a judgment call, but one few would object to.

Alabama finished 3rd in the SEC, going 5-1, and as a judgment call are a good one in that they provide more representation from the South.

Arizona State was very competitive in 2015 and finished 2nd to Cal in the West Coast 7s. They were also semifinalists in the PAC Conference 7s, which isn’t a qualifier, but is a tough tournament. Their selection seems logical.

Oklahoma hasn’t played a lot of 7s, and didn't win the Big XII, but they did come in 2nd and have a strong history of 7s. San Diego State and Cal Poly haven’t played a lot of 7s, and their selection is based on a measure of faith, and a desire to have some SoCal representation.

So eight are judgment calls, of which five seem pretty straightforward, and three might require a bit more convincing from the USA Rugby head office. NEC might have an argument that they are better than San Diego State, Cal Poly, or Oklahoma. Now it’s up to those three to play well to silence any doubters.

Addendum - NEC has been selected after UC Davis finished 2nd in the Pacific Western, and announced they could not travel to Cary, and Stanford, which finished 3rd, was considered for that spot. However, after consideration, USA Rugby chose NEC over Stanford based on performance.