While the college 15s playoffs overwhelm the sound waves this weekend, Northeast and Midwest regions are launching into the 7s qualifier season. A good group of teams will be out on the pitch this weekend, either fighting for a berth to the May 23-24 national championship or looking for a conference title.

There are two national 7s qualifiers taking place: Falcon 7s and Varsity 7s. Notre Dame College hosts the former, and the DII side is the favorite for the title. Davenport is attending and fields a good team, but the recent loss of Danielle Ordway has necessitated some reorganization. Saturday’s tournament will mark the Panthers’ first outing since the All American’s injury. There will be DI sides competing as well, including Michigan, which recently lost to Davenport in 15s, but that doesn't mean the Wolverines' 7s team isn't a contender.

The first-ever Varsity 7s will occur on Brown’s pitch in Providence, R.I. The event brings together six varsity programs in the Northeast region, including Army, Bowdoin, Harvard, Norwich and Quinnipiac. Norwich headlines this impressive lineup, coming off of three-straight 7s titles this season alone (read more about the team’s undefeated streak). Keep an eye on Ilona Maher, a freshman prop who boasts a unique combination of size, strength, and speed, and leads the team in tries scored. Don’t count out the Bobcats, which are bringing two squads to Providence. The Connecticut side has a couple of All Americans in Natalie Kosko and Maggie Myles, and the team plays a similar style to Norwich.

There are two conference 7s championships occurring as well: Rugby Northeast and Tri-State. Stonehill College is hosting the 10-team Rugby Northeast event and is the favorite for the title. The team’s warmed up with two 7s tournaments already, going 5-2 and dropping games to DI teams only. Stonehill has advanced to the three previous conference games, playing Lowell, Holy Cross, and Merrimack for the title. Roger Williams joins the fray this year, as it’s poised to join the conference in the upcoming season.

The biggest tournament goes to Tri-State, which welcomes 12 DII and Small College teams to Stony Brook, N.Y. Rutgers and Vassar are the favorites heading into the championship, while strong teams like Marist are playing 7s for the first time. The pools work out as such:

Group A: Rutgers, Sacred Heart, New Paltz, Bard
Group B: Stony Brook, Vassar, Siena, Fordham
Group C: Marist, Molloy, Rutgers B, Albany

Finally, Penn State is hosting a small 7s tournament but has welcomed quality sides in Lindenwood, AIC and two Navy teams. The Nittany Lions are the favorites for their sheer bulk of talent. They haven’t played any 7s yet this season, but it probably won’t show. Lindenwood is eager to prove itself and coming off title wins in Nebraska. AIC’s been busy on the circuit as well, heading down to Atlanta for the Festival 7s and sampling good competition against teams like Norwich. Navy’s the underdog, but the team is working under a new head coach, and the field’s eager to see how that’s impacted the traditionally strong 7s program.